Bound to Tomorrow
by Green Bunny
Summary: Kagome and Inu Yasha continue their new life. With a new life comes new struggles, new friends, and new enemies. Continuation to the manga's epilogue.
1. Prologue

**-*-**

**Hello guys! I'm back again, writing yet another Inu Yasha fan fiction. This one, as promised in First Class Dog, is an extended epilogue to the Inu Yasha manga. This chapter is a quick prologue to sum up the ending for everyone so it obviously contains spoilers. I know the manga epilogue goes beyond where I have ended this chapter but I'm going to be inserting story content that is missing in the next one. Specifically, I'll be bridging the time between the big Sengoku reunion and the time which looks to me to be happening a few months later when Sesshoumaru stops in for a visit. **

**For all of my readers who checked out my previous work (and new readers): Right now I can't promise that I will update this very frequently (as mentioned in FCD) because I am still in the middle of my senior art exhibition. I'm extremely busy and will continue to be busy until the end of November 2009. For anyone that's interested the artwork is coming along slowly but surely and still retains all of the anime influences that the faculty is so against. **

**Note: All the stuff in bold are direct quotes from the manga taken from the One Manga website. Also, Inu Yasha and co. doesn't belong to me; they belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Any new characters introduced obviously belong to me, Green Bunny. **

**As usual, I have more questions for my readers so be sure to send me a review or PM reply! Here's my newest question: If I had a way to keep Sango and Miroku alive indefinitely through history as I intend to do with Kagome would you guys like me to keep them alive in this story? Most other authors seem to kill them off from old age… what do you prefer? **

**-*-**

"**Kagome is safe."**

For three years he had kept the thought to himself but today he had finally answered the old woman's questions. In order to keep up Shippo's spirits the dog demon had never voiced it aloud. The kitsune had been hit hard when Kagome had not returned after a month. After the first year Shippo decided that the best way to get the miko to return was to train and perfect his kitsune magic. He had taken her absence to mean some lack in his character. Frequently, the boy left the village to train and hone his skill. Eventually the local forest kitsune took notice and began to teach him their craft. Inu Yasha had never met the reclusive teachers but by the scent on Shippo's clothes when he returned he could tell there were at least three of them. The half demon did not stop him. Kitsune were not like regular feral demons. They did not attack humans but they did often make contact with them. Kitsune played their mysterious games with humans for no apparent reason. They did not need to eat but did so on occasion. To Inu Yasha's discerning eye he assumed they did so for kicks or to blend in with humans when they were playing one of their games. However, they still made him edgy, but the learning experience had distracted the boy from the possibility of a life without his beloved miko. For that, Inu Yasha was grateful.

Kaede persisted in her questioning. The dog-demon became irritated.

"**Idiot, there are other people who need and love Kagome."**

Speaking the thought aloud immediately brought back memories of his last moments with the miko. Their fight with Naraku was finally at an end and they had magically appeared in her time period. Immediately, her family rushed up to embrace the girl. Her tears and her cries made him realize how dangerous his time truly was.

"**At that time, I was just relieved to send Kagome home… Kagome's mom and brother and grandpa were all crying and stuff."**

She had a life in her time period and a family. What could he offer her in his world but death and destruction? Kagome's family cried for her. They needed her and she obviously needed them.

"**I'm not the only person who Kagome is important to, after all."**

-*-

"**Inu Yasha saved me!"**

Thinking back on it, three years later, Kagome might as well have said, "Water is wet." Of course Inu Yasha saved her! He always swept in at the last second and saved the day. She had been trapped in a dark place for what seemed to be an eternity before he had broken through and rescued her. She had been so relieved to be out of Naraku's reach that she had blurted out the most obvious statement of the century. Everyone had been crying. She was crying. It was all somewhat silly in retrospect. Inu Yasha was quiet. She could feel his eyes on her and something compelled her to turn back to him; still wrapped up in the embrace of her loved ones. He had worn one of his more enigmatic expressions and she could not tell for certain but he looked…sad…and then a bright light enveloped him and he vanished.

She called his name, but it was too late. He was gone.

From then on Kagome had jumped back into school all over again. She would not go near the well for a long time. At first she had told her mother that Inu Yasha would pop out and collect her all over again so there was no point in going near it. A few months later her mother suggested that she might go by the well and check around. It had been far too long of an absence, even if Inu Yasha was angry. Kagome had snapped at her and told her to leave her alone. She apologized immediately afterward but her family knew what the girl wouldn't admit: she was afraid of the well.

It was not exactly the well she was afraid of but the fear of the possibility that something terrible would pull her into the same darkness. Kagome would barely acknowledge that Naraku had left her in such an awful place—apparently she had been there for days, too. Besides, she assured herself, Inu Yasha would come for her at some point. If he was with her then they could go through the well together and she would not have to be afraid.

Months went by and the miko threw herself into her studies. Finishing high school became her goal in life. A year went by and she was drawn to volunteer at her local hospital. She told her mother and Souta that school was not enough and she wanted to do more. At the time her mother had given her a look that said she knew something Kagome did not. Three years later she was certified in CPR and had graduated to patient-care liaison. Strangely, time seemed to move slowly for her.

Graduation came and went. Her friends talked excitedly about their intended careers while she listened in quiet amusement. Listening to her friends' plans made her feel suddenly left out. They had their futures while she remained somewhere in limbo. Eventually everyone dispersed and she was left alone with her thoughts.

As the dark tendrils of fear that had plagued her heart began to dissipate over the last three years it had come to her knowledge that she could no longer enter the well on her own. For two years she had wondered why. On graduation day it dawned on her.

"**The reason the well won't connect is probably because of my feelings." **

Admitting it out loud left her heart cold. It was not that Inu Yasha would not come for her—it was she who would not go to him. Her fear of the well had long since dissipated, so what kept her? She had always been late for Inu Yasha's pick-ups because of school. Perhaps, her thoughts of finishing school had kept her back?

"**What I had to do is done and now I am forever in my—in this—world; a world without Inu Yasha."**

"This world" did not feel like her world any more. At first she thought she was experiencing some sort of backwards homesickness for the Sengoku period. It was true that she missed it… but something else bothered her more. Now she knew what it was. She missed Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and everyone else but more so she missed Inu Yasha. It felt wrong to wake up in the morning and not have the grumpy hanyou haunting her every footstep; haranguing her until she finally acquiesced and allowed him to whisk her back. She found herself missing everything involving him; his ramen obsession, his eyes, his smile, and even his scowls. Had school been worth it if it meant a life without him?

"**Inu Yasha, I want to be with you."**

Without knowing it Kagome found herself at the well. Through the last year she had stood at the edge of the well staring in to its depths; and there she was again. The well gaped below her, silent. A soft touch on her shoulder made her realize her mother had caught her; watching and waiting. She too was watching and waiting. Instinctively, her mother knew that it was only a matter of time before she left. The girl was in love.

Suddenly, the miko tensed. The sky felt heavier and her heart began to pound. It was time.

"**Mama I'm**… going back."

-*-

Inu Yasha was uneasy. The kids crawled all over him but he took little notice. His discussion with Kaede had left him feeling frustrated. She was right about one thing, though. He had matured. The old dog demon would have stormed off and hid out in the woods to revel in his misery alone. Now he could not, nor would not, do that. While Kaede's village had little trouble the surrounding villages still suffered from demon raids and possessions. Since the fall of Naraku the feral demons had gone, for lack of a better word, wilder. The feral ones no longer attacked villages in organized packs, which was good. Instead, a single demon would occasionally burst into someone's village and tear into anything that moved until it had been mortally wounded. Miroku and Inu Yasha had also found evidence that feral demons which normally hunted in packs, like boar demons, were killing and eating each other for no apparent reason. They found demon dens filled with the corpses of their own kin. It was eerie, but attacks were down all over, so it was merely a footnote, if not a nice perk, to daily life.

A touch on his ears sent a shiver down his spine. For a split second he remembered when Kagome had touched his ears—until the twins tugged. The painful reminder was enough to irritate him.

"**Hey, do something about the twins."**

Miroku chastised them and Sango apologized, he even ignored Shippo's 'toy' comment. They tugged away on his ears but something else had caught his attention. The wind had changed directions and with it a familiar scent wafted past his nose. In one swift move he plucked the squealing, wriggling girls off his head and deposited them on the kitsune.

"**Go slay the kitsune."**

They dove upon the boy with gusto while Shippo protested loudly. Inu Yasha stood up so he could catch the scent again. It could have been a trick of his imagination. Standing above the two children covered in scents would give him a better chance to check for sure. Another breath gave him his answer. It was Kagome's scent.

The dog demon charged towards the well. The scent grew stronger and his hopes rose with each step. Finally, the well was in view and he screeched to a halt in front of it. For a moment he hesitated. Her scent was all around him but still he worried that it could be an illusion or some dream. He took a breath, stepped forward, and reached down into the inky blackness.

Delicate fingers curled around his hand. He hauled up her light form, relief washed over him as her eyes locked onto his. He breathed her name and she smiled back at him with tears shimmering at the corners of her eyes.

"**Inu Yasha, I'm sorry, were you waiting?"**

**"You idiot… what have you been up to?"** He grabbed her and held her close, breathing in her scent. His claws curled into her hair and he stared at her back. Instinctively, he knew it was real but still the dog demon feared if he shut his eyes for a moment she might vanish into a dream. His fears were shattered when Miroku with Sango, children, and Shippo in tow ruined their peaceful reunion.

As if to confirm it to everyone Kagome said, **"Miroku, Sango, Shippo, I'm back."**

-*-


	2. Unity

**-*-**

**Story Notes: I looked everywhere on the web and racked my brains from my own brief visit to Japan about welcome home parties. I did not find much. In the states we have a tendency to invite the whole family to one location to celebrate a relative's homecoming but in Taiwan (I know that is Chinese tradition but I only spent two weeks in Japan and I lived for a couple months in Taiwan) it seemed the other way around. We went all over Taiwan visiting relatives at their homes and had our meals with them. This makes a lot of sense because there isn't as much living space to have tons of family over at the same time. With that knowledge in mind, I assumed that if Kagome was the one coming home then she would likely have to go around visiting everyone else. I could be wrong but I didn't find anything in my studies that said otherwise. If I've made a mistake about this then please PM or review message me so that I can fix it! **

**Also, on a slightly random note, apparently Kagome's mother's name is Kun-Loon; I swear I'm not making this up! I did a couple of searches to find out and the sources only said that a Japanese magazine and the manga mention her name briefly. The name sounds Korean or Chinese so that would mean Kagome has a multi-national background. I think that's pretty interesting. **

**(MILD SPOILER TO THE CHAPTER)**

**Wedding Notes: After much research I assumed a few things about how this wedding was going to go down: first, being that it's the feudal era and they live in a small, rural village I figured their marriage would be pretty short and to the point. Historically there's a pretty big correlation with weddings becoming more complex and engagements lasting longer as the times become safer in a country. At this time death rates would probably be pretty darn high so I would have expected a very short engagement and a shorter wedding. Essentially, no one's got the time or the health care to lollygag with big, flashy weddings. Also, from what I've read, the man would be expected to work for his intended's family…unless of course the family wasn't there. Hence, I included a mandate that the groom must work for the bride. Also, a woman would not move in with her groom even after they were married until she became pregnant or her parents died. Well, if the family is literally gone completely then it makes sense that the bride would move in right away… it would also force the groom to make sure she was married really quickly so he could provide for her. This is also why I interpreted that this marriage happened right away. Finally, I had the groom adopt the last name of the wife since he did not have a last name of his own. **

**(END OF MILD SPOILER) **

**Readers' Question: Has it ever been mentioned what town the Higurashi family shrine is supposed to be located? If not, what town/prefecture's founding would date back far enough to match up with the village in the Sengoku period? If anyone knows or has any ideas please message me!**

**-*-**

Inu Yasha was frustrated. He had waited for her for three years only to have her snatched away from him by social obligations. All day long Kagome had been whisked from house to house in the village visiting the local townsfolk. Everyone reacted to the miko's return as if she had died and was raised from the dead. He had gone to the well once every three days to see if she had returned; not once did a villager come visit the well. In his mind, he deserved to have a lot more time with her all to himself. Instead, the dog demon was forced to follow along like a lost pup as she made her rounds with Kaede. Granted, the villagers always offered her food and it was nice to have as many snacks as he wished whenever he wished, but he would starve for a week if it meant a few hours of peace alone with her.

Miroku was the first to notice Inu Yasha's growing irritation. He was quick to remind the hanyou that Kaede was the town's only miko. The locals, especially the farmers, were superstitious and feared that Kaede might pass away before another priestess had been found. Now that Kagome had returned the villagers were greatly relieved. Miroku went on to argue that they might also be trying to sort of 'bribe' Kagome into staying with all the food they had to offer. Inu Yasha scoffed but seemed a bit more relaxed about his own discomfort.

They visited every single house in the village. By the time they had finished their rounds it was nearly sunset. Kagome was stuffed full of food and exhausted. Sango had met up with them halfway through their rounds and offered her a place to sleep for the night but Kaede had beaten her to the punch long before. The wise elderly woman knew that the young couple meant well but did not really have the space for her. Eventually Miroku and Sango bid them a good night. The houshi thanked them with a sly wink because all of the walking had worn out all three of his children. The kids would sleep soundly while the couple got some much missed alone time.

Somehow during their goodbyes Kaede had vanished back into her hut. Inu Yasha had noticed her fading scent even as they spoke but kept quiet. Kagome was oblivious. As they watched Miroku and Sango retreat into the night an awkward silence descended. For once, Inu Yasha was the first to break the quiet.

"Kagome…"

The young priestess drew her head up at the sound of his voice, "Yes?"

He appeared agitated. The hanyou shuffled his feet and turned his head about, obviously arguing internally for a few minutes before his impatience won out.

"Will you… ah… shit, just follow me, okay?"

Her tiredness was momentarily forgotten in her confusion, "A-all right."

Kagome's daze was broken further when the annoyed dog demon quickly grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her down the almost-empty village road. He muttered something about the necessity of her close proximity. He was not about to lose her in the dark; especially when he had something important to show her.

On the far outskirts of town he led her towards a single house. Something odd struck her about it. The house itself was not taller, bigger, or any differently built from the average house in the village. She realized then that it wasn't the house but its' proximity to the other houses that was different. The building was set back away from the rest of them. Normally, the houses were crammed close together. It was a natural consequence of a hostile environment. There was safety in numbers, huddled together so that demons were less likely to intrude. Like many predators, feral demons preferred an easy fight with isolated or weakened opponents whenever possible. Hence, the buildings were kept close where an alarm could be raised and a militia mustered quickly. The sequestered hut stood out in that way because it defied that simple convention. As she was led closer to the house a new awareness dawned. It was isolated because there was something else that made it defensible.

It was then that she also noticed Inu Yasha had grown unusually quiet for being so irritable throughout the day. He had also stopped making eye contact at her. Instead, he marched forward with determination, his head locked in place ahead. Her heart began to beat rapidly when they reached the sliding door and the half demon threw it back. He stopped dead suddenly and she nearly smacked into his back. Her mind spun as Inu Yasha turned towards her. Instinctively she knew what he was about to say but she was too shocked to believe it.

"Kagome," He began, his golden eyes were turned away from her face, fearful of what expression might be upon it, "this is… my place."

"Oh?" She blinked at him, the miko felt like she was having some sort of out of body experience; as if she could not possibly be hearing it.

He finally risked looking her in the eyes but found her face unreadable in her apparent confusion, "It was built for me by the villagers. Some of the farm folk got it in their heads that I'm some sort of guardian. Feh, it's like they think I'm a damned patron spirit or something."

The thought of the grumpy dog demon as benevolent village guardian made them both smirk. Her smile caused him to falter in his determination. He was suddenly struck by her beauty. The subtle changes to her figure had not been lost on him. In three years she had grown a hair taller and her waist and legs had refined to more elegant curves. He wondered why she had been mad enough to return for _him_… when this hut was just about all he could offer.

Kagome peeked around him to check out his new home. The first thing she saw in the modest, raised were the wood floors and hearth in the center surrounded by a square of tatami. Further off she could see a room on the right with the sliding doors closed. It was likely a bedroom.

"Inu Yasha, this place is nice!" She breathed, touching her hand to her chest.

His pointed ears perked up. He was glad she liked it but raised a claw to scratch the back of his head in an attempt to seem embarrassed. Inu Yasha was not about to look like some dopey-eyed pup around her, even though he was thrilled to see her happy.

"It's all right…" He replied.

She smiled back before her mouth distorted into a long yawn. All of the exhaustion from the day had hit her. Inu Yasha looked concerned for a second before masking the expression with an annoyed look.

"Let's get you back to Kaede's place. Can't have you passing out somewhere like some idiot…"

She nodded sleepily and took a step forward, wobbling ever so slightly. The dog demon noticed immediately and swept her up onto his back while grumbling about the miko pushing too hard. Her nod of agreement against his back told the hanyou that the girl was not listening. Had she been more alert she would have likely made a snarky retort. As he padded towards Kaede's house he talked to the unconscious young woman.

"You know, you put me through a hell of a time when I was sent back. Shippo asked me every damn day for two months when you'd be coming back. Then the villagers hounded me about you, hell, even that damn letch and his wife, too. Everyone kept asking me questions about you like I was your damned keeper or something."

He paused for a moment to see if the miko elicited a response, she did not. All he could hear was her slow breaths and the steady beating of her heart. She was definitely asleep.

"… It was pretty rough without you. It wasn't the same here… I hope you'll stay." Kagome remained quiet, oblivious to his uncharacteristic show of candor.

Her scent was everywhere around him. He had never forgotten her scent but only then did he realize how badly he had missed it. As Kaede's hut came into view he slowed down his pace, reluctant to give up his precious cargo. The moment he stepped up to the screen the old woman's shadow appeared behind the rice paper. She slid the screen back and motioned with her hand to be silent. Rin had gone to bed long before and the child was a terribly light sleeper. She led him to a straw-lined bed and he silently deposited the miko. When he set her down she murmured his name and without thinking he reached out and brushed her bangs away from her forehead, the faintest smile on his lips.

His duty complete, the hanyou took his leave from the residence and gave the old woman a quick nod on the way out. However, once he stepped past the threshold and the door had slid shut behind him he found himself rooted to the spot. The prospect of walking all the way back to his empty house bothered him and once again found himself worrying that perhaps he was still dreaming. In the morning he would wake up alone and he might be the truth. Then it dawned on him. If he sat out on Kaede's porch all night then when he did wake up in the morning he would still be there he could then quickly conclude that the night had not been a dream. With his mind set the hanyou plopped down cross-legged on Kaede's porch, tucked his scabbard under his chin, and promptly fell asleep.

-*-

Kaede was up first the next morning. She discovered the half-demon fast asleep on her front porch. She smiled and shook her head, marveling at the tenacity of young love. His pointed ears twitched at the sound of the elderly miko's footsteps and he cracked an eye open. He said nothing but Kaede was certain that a flash of relief played across his features before a big yawn escaped his mouth, baring sharp canines.

"Good morning, lad. Don't ye worry, she's still here."

"Feh, I can smell as much." He grunted in reply, "Is she still asleep?"

The woman nodded her gray haired head, and then gave him a thoughtful look, "She'll begin her training in three day's time, until then you've got her all to yourself."

"Oh good, no pressure then," he grumbled, his claws curled and uncurled around the Tetsusaiga.

"Ah, so ye will be asking her, then?"

His ears grew hot and he sputtered, "W-well… I want to… but what if she says no? She might go back…"

"What would I say no about?" Kagome's voice behind him made him jump, gripping his sword tightly in his fists.

"Ka-Kagome, you're awake!"

"Yes, Rin just woke me up, she's asking for you, Kaede."

The old priestess nodded and shuffled back inside without a word, a barely-contained smile upon her face. Kagome squatted beside him, her eyes locked on his.

"…So what did you want to ask me…and why did you think I'd leave?"

He groaned inwardly and scrambled to his feet, the burning in his ears was rapidly spreading to his face. "Uh… I'm gonna get going…"

The young woman followed behind, "Hey! Come on now! Answer me!"

He crossed his arms into his robe and continued to walk away quickly, heading in the direction of his home. "Feh, you're so damn nosy… If you want to know, then come with me."

She trotted forward until she had caught up with him, perplexed. Inu Yasha stomped down the road; his mind was a mess of rapid thoughts and only came worse the closer he drew to his home. The woman was stubborn and she would not leave him alone until he had told her. There was no turning back now. The house seemed to appear before him faster than if he had ran there at full speed. The only sounds from the dog demon came from his heavy footsteps as he entered his home. Kagome grew even more confused as he headed straight for the enclosed room that she had seen the night earlier. Before he opened the door he suddenly turned on his heel, facing her. His golden eyes bored into hers, she could see a mixture of fear and anticipation in his gaze. For some reason her heart began to beat quickly.

"Kagome, are you here to stay?"

"Of course I am. I finished what needed to be done in my time. I've said goodbye to my family and I'm ready to start my life here." She replied.

"… And you're sure this is the life you want?" His eyes searched hers.

She smiled up at him, "The life I want is a life with you. It always has been, it always will be."

There was no hint of nervousness when she said those words. She had always been so openly honest with him, so very sure of herself. He questioned his mind and his very nature all the time while she remained so solidly certain of everything—even of him. She was his solid foundation. It was just one of the many reasons he loved her.

"All right then, I have something for you." With that he slid the door to the bedroom open.

In the center of the room was a wooden lacquered stand with an ornately detailed white kimono and obi hung upon it. She gasped when she saw it and took a few tentative steps inside to take a closer look at it. The silk was a shimmering silvery-white with silver embroidery. Inu Yasha had clearly spent some time saving up money (or in this case, many bushels of rice) to buy such a beautiful kimono.

"Oh, Inu Yasha…!" She breathed.

When she looked back she realized the hanyou had been standing with his back to her, apparently too worried about a negative reaction to watch her response. His ears twitched strained backwards in her direction that made it obvious he was paying more attention than he wanted to show. He scratched the back of his head and tried to sound politely humble about his offering.

"It's nothing great, I know…"

Suddenly he felt her small arms around his middle giving him s tight squeeze, "It's beautiful! It must have cost you a small fortune to get this… I don't deserve something so nice."

His blush quickly spread from his ears down to his face as he attempted to sound more indignant than nervous, "I-idiot, of course you do… actually, you deserve something better."

He turned to face her. As he did so his claws grasped her hands and maneuvered them to place them on his chest. The motion brought her eyes back to his, her cheeks still flushed with excitement. Inu Yasha took a deep breath to calm his nerves before launching into his second surprise.

"That's not all. I know it doesn't look like much but… this place is yours—ours—if you wish."

Her eyes widened as she realized what the gifts meant, "You mean…are you asking…?"

His claws squeezed her fingers nervously as golden eyes followed every expression on her face, "Yes. Will you…stay with me, Kagome? Will you be my mate…my wife?"

Kagome suddenly grew quiet, tears welled up in the corners of her wide eyes and he began to panic that he had upset her. For a few seconds he worried he would scare her off, and that she might decide to return home. Perhaps he had been wrong in thinking that she had come back to be with him? His fears were dispelled just as quickly as they had come when a smile brightened her face and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Yes! Yes!"

His jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Had he heard correctly? Did she really want to be his mate? Had it really been so easy? It seemed too good to be true. Then Kagome did something he expected even less. The miko's arms tightened slightly behind his neck which caused him to tilt his head a few inches lower. At the same time she leaned up onto her toes and brought her lips to his. Had her eyes been opened she might have burst into laughter as his sunset-hued eyes nearly bugged right out of his head, so shocked was he to have been kissed. It took him only a few seconds for relief to flood his senses and he wrapped his arms around her back and returned the kiss.

Kagome's eyes snapped open after a few moments lost in his kiss and she made a muffled 'oh' sound. Inu Yasha pulled back and looked at her quizzically. The miko waved her hand in a motion to tell him to give her a second. He gave an impatient grunt as she fussed with her white and red priestess' kimono provided by Kaede. She gave a triumphant shout as she produced a small envelope from one of its sleeves.

"Here."

She handed him the letter and he raised an eyebrow when he noticed his name written in ink on the front. It was still sealed; she had not opened it. The hanyou wasted no time slashing it open with one of his claws. Inside was a note addressed to him in what was appeared to him to be a woman's handwriting:

_Inu Yasha, _

_My daughter has been in love with you for a long time and I know you love her. Kagome has been home for a week now and I know that eventually she will return to you. Something in that well scared her but I know it is only a matter of time before she will brave it to be with you. When she goes back she will not have her family to rely on. That is why you have my permission to marry her. You will keep her safe, keep her happy, and in return I know she will shine for you. _

_Sincerely, _

_Kun-Loon Higurashi_

"Kagome, your mom gave me permission. She knew you'd come back." He murmured, carefully folding the letter back and handing it to her.

She shook her head and waved it away. "No, Inu Yasha, mama told me that letter was for you. You keep it."

He gave a nod and slipped the letter into his haori, close to his heart.

-*-

"Oi, old lady, are you home?" The dog demon bellowed in front of Kaede's house.

"Ye may have matured but your manners are still as atrocious as ever." Kaede grumbled as she hobbled through the door.

"Well I can't help it that you've gotten old on me." He retorted.

Kagome punched the impertinent half demon in the shoulder. He gave her a perplexed look. Was she not as impatient as he was to get married? The elderly miko grinned at the two.

"So ye asked her already?" Her one good eye turned to his intended. "And ye said yes?"

"Of course she did." Inu Yasha huffed with his arms crossed over his chest. The younger miko blushed.

"Well I figured as much which is why I took ye the liberty of calling Miroku and Sango for ye."

When Kaede mentioned the young family appeared in their best kimonos with their three children in tow. The new baby slept peacefully strapped to Sango's back. The woman handed the baby off to Miroku, took one of each of her twins' hands, and then rushed Kagome away in the direction of Inu Yasha's house. The half demon made a move to follow them but the houshi stepped into his path.

"Where are you going? You've got to let her get dressed. Come now, we must pick up Shippo and get you cleaned up."

"Oi, what's wrong with what I've got?" He complained.

The Buddhist monk shot him a withering look. "She may love you as you are but do you not think she might like to see you in something other than your fire rat robe?" The hanyou would not dignify his question with an answer but the monk knew by his body language that he was acquiescing. "I thought so. Well, I'll let you borrow one of my nice kimonos."

The two men made their way to Miroku's house where Shippo met them at the entrance. The kitsune tossed the houshi a bag of enchanted tops.

"Okay, you win." He said before placing a leaf on his head and transforming his clothes into a formal robe decorated with his family's crest.

"What the hell was that about?" Inu Yasha blinked while he was pushed inside the small home.

Miroku paled slightly but Shippo was more than happy to oblige, "We made a bet about how long it would take you to ask. I said at least a week, he said at most three days."

Inu Yasha was happy to add a few lumps to their skulls for the embarrassment they caused him. It helped relieve some of the nervousness he had only just recognized was growing in the pit of his stomach. Twenty minutes later Inu Yasha was dressed in a black formal robe and had even allowed the houshi to tie his silver hair back in a low pony tail. Finally the three men with the baby in tow headed back to Kaede's residence.

-*-

Meanwhile, back at Inu Yasha's house, Sango had her hands full helping Kagome dress in her wedding kimono while making sure the twins did not dirty their own outfits or untie their hair while they waited impatiently. Once the miko was dressed Sango drew Kagome's hair up onto her head and pinned it in place with some of her jewelry from her own collection. While she fussed with her hair the demon huntress revealed more information about the gifts Inu Yasha had acquired.

"Did you know Inu Yasha started looking for that kimono three weeks after you disappeared? Miroku said he checked out every kimono shop in every town they visited on the job. You wouldn't know it, but my husband says he was pretty picky about finding you the right one. He spent two years picking out a kimono and then another six months getting the obi."

Kagome's face turned pink as she listened. Her fingers twiddled together as she ignored Sango tugging away on her hair.

"It was all so cute; can you imagine him trying to hide that from you?" Sango queried with a laugh. The young miko laughed with her, still blushing. The thought of the dog demon attempting to skirt answering her about any odd behavior was too funny. He would have tried to be angry and would have tried to get her to argue with him until she forgot… but he always forgot her tenacity, and she almost always won.

Sango made a contented sigh and stepped back suddenly. Her work on Kagome's hair was finished and she was quite impressed with her work. Still, there was one more thing to do. The huntress and mother of three shuffled to face the bride, a small shell and paint brush in hand. With a few quick strokes she applied some lip color to her; immediately the twins also begged to have their mother put make-up on them, too. She laughed and gave a light dab of color to each of her girls. With her children appeased Sango pulled a small mirror from a chest and gave it to Kagome so that she could approve her looks. She in turn gave a delighted gasp and gave the huntress a tight squeeze.

"It looks wonderful! Is that really me?"

Sango laughed, "Of course it is! Come now; let's get you to Kaede's."

Feudal marriages in rural villages were quick and dirty affairs. The ceremony involved an exchange of good or services to the bride's family—except in this case the bride's family was unavailable, so instead they improvised and brought several pouches of herbs with medicinal properties for the elderly miko. Inu Yasha stood outside Kaede's hut and paced.

"What the hell is taking her so long?" He groused.

Just then he began to sniff the air. Kagome's scent had grown stronger; she was out of Sango's house and coming closer. It took all of his will not to charge through the village to her side. He waited. Miroku had told him that the surprise of seeing his intended was the best part. He was not so sure until he saw them; two taller forms, one in a modestly colored kimono, the other in a pure white one with a hood, and followed by two smaller ones came into view.

"She wore it…" He murmured in surprise.

Shippo rolled his eyes; his jealousy had gotten the better of him, "Of course she did, stupid. What'd you think she'd do, marry you in a pile of rags?"

For his comment the kitsune was awarded a sharp rap on the head with the houshi's staff. Inu Yasha's heart began to race as Kagome drew closer. She was a vision of beauty to him. The silk of the kimono and obi he had picked out with care shimmered in the afternoon sunlight. His sensitive pointed ears picked up the faint tinkle of jewelry under her hood and could only imagine how her hair might look beneath it. For the hundredth time that day the hanyou wondered why Kami had felt it so fitting to bless him with a woman such as she. She kept her eyes to the ground, shyly. When she came up to Kaede's hut the old priestess slid the door open to allow them in. The couple headed inside while the rest remained outside.

Inside the hut the pair knelt before the old miko, also seated, and waited quietly until she spoke,

"Inu Yasha, by drinking this sake ye agree to take this woman into your home. Ye will provide for her in absence of her family. Ye will fight for, work for, and defend her very being. May the gods bless you and your family in your new life together..." with that concluded the priestess continued with Kagome. "Higurashi Kagome, by drinking this sake ye agree to leave your home and enter into his. Ye will support him in every situation. Ye will fight for and defend his very being and in turn the gods may bless you and your family in your new life together."

When the speech was concluded the couple completed the ceremony by drinking the sake, then Kaede smiled broadly and escorted them to the exit of her home. The old woman stepped out first and declared to Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and dozens of villagers who had appeared of the newest family to their town: Higurashi Inu Yasha and Higurashi Kagome.

"Wow, news spreads fast in a small town." Inu Yasha's new wife whispered.

He smirked and reached out a claw to squeeze her hand, she accepted it and squeezed back. The crowd cheered.


	3. Crash Into Me

**Anime update: Ah, crap! I just found out that they're releasing the rest of the Inu Yasha anime as "Inu Yasha - The Final Act" on Hulu! I know; all the fans are probably pretty darn excited. I am too, but it also means that the story might change or they may add more to the epilogue than what was in the manga. I hold off on doing fan fiction that continues beyond the ending until everything is out for this very reason. Well, if I've got to change anything then I will... but we'll assume for now that I'm working within the manga story line's ending. I'll keep watching the anime in the mean time. Don't worry guys, I'll keep writing this story! I won't wait for the anime to end.**

**Author's notes: Wow, I've been getting a lot of reviews from fans and I thought I should answer some questions. First, was there a shrine in town? I thought the shrine was built later on? Inu Yasha is a HUGE manga (not to mention the 100+ episode anime and feature-length movies) so some things fall through the cracks when I'm writing. If there was a shrine mentioned in the Sengoku period can anyone tell me what chapter of the manga (or episode of the anime) I can find it in? Obviously, there's a shrine in Kagome's time period but I can't recall seeing one in the Sengoku period. I can go back and re-write the chapter to replace all the stuff happening at Kaede's place to the shrine if that's the case. If I missed a detail I really want to make sure it gets fixed. I don't like to leave that kind of stuff out.**

**Also, you'll probably notice that I may borrow some ideas that I used in my First Class Dog story. I'm not cheating, I swear! I just really liked some of those ideas already.**

**And finally, this story is going to have lemony content. It's probably more of a lime because I don't really like making those scenes look like a porno. I personally like lemons but when people start using porn words I lose my suspension of disbelief pretty quickly. That's why it took me so long to write this scene, too. I'm trying really hard to keep things in character and that's pretty hard to do when the manga never really has them do anything but HUG. But anyway, you have been warned, there's a lemon afoot. **

**Oh and thanks again to all my readers—especially reviewers! You guys are wonderful!**

-*-

The wedding ceremony had ended with the couple paraded back to Inu Yasha's house. Their front porch was nearly covered in packages wrapped carefully in red and white fabrics. They would find out later to their intense embarrassment that most of them contained foods that were thought to encourage a woman to produce many offspring. Kagome noted that the villagers had no grand wedding receptions in their customs. She had to wonder if the custom developed sometime later in history when there was less inner turmoil amongst the provinces in Japan.

Inu Yasha began to sweat a little when they stepped into their new house together. Miroku had told him (in a little too much detail) how to mate with a human female. What the perverted houshi had told him made him worry if he might hurt Kagome. He said that it hurt Sango initially and then after a few minutes she did not mind. Then the monk proceeded to elaborate on some of the 'fun' things they had done together—which promptly ended in a swift beating from the furiously blushing half demon.

Demonic mating seemed similar but was even less familiar to him. He had only observed youkai mating once when he had nearly been killed after stumbling upon two wolf demons rutting as a preteen. Later on, back when he had still been on speaking terms with his half brother, he had asked Sesshoumaru about it. His brother confirmed that the ritual of marking was normal (at the time the boy had thought they were devouring each other) but that was where the similarities ended. In his usual disdainful tone, Sesshoumaru had explained that dog demons of pure lineage never rutted out in the open air like animals and had their mates arranged for them between clans. He made sure to emphasize to his half brother that he would not have to worry about such things because his impure heritage made him worthless anyway.

Kagome's voice shook him from his reverie.

"Things sure move fast here."

"Huh?" He blinked, "How so?"

"Well, when my cousin got married they had to meet with each side of the family, have the families agree to the marriage, their wedding took all day and their reception went all night, they had to sign a bunch of paperwork, and then they had to visit a shrine to be blessed…"

"That sounds like it'd take forever!" The look on his face was one of near-horror and it made his new wife laugh.

"Yeah, it does take a long ti—" She was immediately silenced by a kiss.

The mere threat of having to wait for anything relating to Kagome had become too much for him. The half demon had been ridiculously patient waiting on her to get dressed while he waited like a dolt on the other side of the village. When he scented her again coming towards him dressed like a princess he had wanted to charge forward, forget the ceremony, and drag her back to his—their—home. His humanity had been the only thing maintaining his composure throughout the exchange of vows when in reality he wanted to tell the old hag to shut the hell up and get it over with. When they left Kaede's hut he wanted to howl at the villagers to get out of the way so he could get home quickly. Yet, stepping into the house finally had suddenly made him as nervous as if he had been on his first hunt all over again. He had quite nearly forgotten his desires over petty human insecurities—until Kagome reminded him. She had a way of spinning his mind around like that. Now, there would be no stopping him.

The miko was startled but not terribly surprised. The hanyou had oozed tension all day but she had thought that it had more to do with the village spectators than anything else. She hesitated only for a moment before returning his kiss. Her eyes slid shut and a second later recognized the hiss of satin as the kimono's hood dropped to the floor. By the time it had registered in her mind that the headpiece was no longer there the half demon had yanked her close. His hands shook as they fussed with the tie of her obi and he gave up her lips to lean his face into her shoulder, peeking over it to eyeball the complicated knot. There was no way he would slash it; he had worked too hard exterminating demons to acquire it in the first place.

Kagome's heart pounded in her chest and felt that her mind was spinning. It seemed impossible that they were at such a point in their relationship. Yet, there she was, desperately clinging to the one she had loved for so long. Her hands tangled up in his haori until her fingers found the edges and tugged the folds out to each side. Just then she felt the obi around her middle sag and give way followed by a relieved sigh from Inu Yasha.

When the obi fell the half demon shrugged off his haori. It gave him a moment to step back and enjoy the view. Her uchikake hung off her small frame to reveal another kimono beneath. He grinned approvingly and slid his fingers over her shoulders, under the collar of the uchikake, and then eased it back until it too fell away to puddle around her feet; eventually the under-kimono joined with her obi as well. The only thing left was her under robe. The hanyou marveled at the amount of fabric he had pulled off of her. To him it was like unwrapping the world's most complicated present.

Her feet were practically submerged in silk and when Inu Yasha took her into his arms again she tripped. Her heels tipped back as her tangled up ankles became hung up on the heavy fabrics. She fell… for a moment. Then, strong arms encircled her middle and she found she was being carried. His golden eyes met hers and he smirked.

"Clumsy."

Kagome huffed and crossed her arms, a bright blush on her cheeks. It took him a few steps to set her down on soft bedding. As soon as she was set down he flopped down next to her with an exhausted sigh. His arms quickly tugged her back into his embrace, his claws curled possessively around her back, and he gave her a squeeze.

His voice mumbled into her hair, "Gods, I thought I'd never get to do this again."

The stubborn girl could not help but argue, "But you did…"

"I got to hold you, but not alone. All those damned people just have to talk to you!" and then a little quieter he grumbled, "It's like they need you or somethin'."

"Well, we're alone now."

Somehow Kagome had managed to nestle her head under his cheek so that when she made her last comment her breath tickled his neck, causing him to shiver ever so slightly. She did not seem to understand how much it bothered him that his potential mate was dragged around at the whims of such a thankless bunch. If he would only mark her, his feral side argued, then he would not have to be concerned with it anymore. She would be his no matter where she went and all would know. The idea was too tantalizing to resist and Inu Yasha gave in.

In an instant his fingers were in her hair, drawing her head up and canting it to one side. His lips pressed to her neck in what she interpreted as kisses but he used to trace the muscles in her neck. Goosebumps formed on her skin where his lips touched until he found her quickly beating pulse. He sought out her jugular in order to avoid it. By leaving his scent there he could move past it knowing that when he did mark her he would not bleed her to death. From there he traced his way back until he found a thick muscle where her neck met her shoulder. Instinct told him that it was there that he would make his move.

A soft and familiar touch on his ears caused him to shudder. Her fingers had made a beeline to the soft white points on his head and began to rub them gently. She was the only one who could touch them like that; anyone else made him cringe. It was just one of a thousand things that made her special. Now she would be _his_ Kagome. The hanyou gave her shoulder a quick lick, took a short shuddering breath, and then plunged his fangs into her skin.

Kagome froze when she felt a sharp pain near her neck. She tried to move her hands down to touch her shoulder but found them blocked by Inu Yasha's head. She tried to push gently on his head to see what he might be doing but his only response was a low growl. The pressure lifted suddenly and the pain was dialed down quite a bit. A minute later the pressure returned to her shoulder as the half-demon dipped his head back down to her neck. Initially, she felt a dull twinge from the same spot as if he had pressed on an old bruise but as quickly as the soreness came, it left. An odd, tingling sensation spread slowly from the once-painful spot. In less than a minute the tingling sensation was everywhere in her body. Just then Inu Yasha lifted his head to gaze into her eyes which were full of confusion. What she saw shocked her.

His normally gold colored eyes were an odd shade of purple with a small ring of red around each iris. His cheeks held the same light tinge of purple in faint stripes. Stranger still was the thin line of blood that trickled from the corner of his lips and down over his chin. Inu Yasha watched her intently, waiting for something; his breaths came short as if he had just run a marathon. His eyes stared pleadingly back into hers and she shivered as the tingling sensation in her skin intensified. Then, her mind went blank. Distantly, something in her mind encouraged her to lean forward and she found herself kissing his chin at the spot where the blood ran. His immediate reaction to her touch was to curl his claws around her forearms, squeezing them slightly, yet barely moving at all. She was only dimly aware that she was a little bit surprised to note that she was not repulsed by the taste of blood. In fact, her kisses had traveled up his chin to his lips where she encountered the source of his wound. Inu Yasha had cut his lower lip with one of his own fangs.

The man who had been so still just moments before exploded into action just then. One hand grasped the back of her neck and brought her in for a crushing kiss. She returned his kiss with enthusiasm barely noticing when one of her lips was pricked by his razor sharp canines. After that, the undressing became a frenzied blur. Their clothes seemed to vanish in a hurry and the only thing either person could recall later was getting hung up on the ties around each others' waists. Years later they would laugh about Inu Yasha's frustration, which he had kept in check so well with Kagome's uchikake and kimono, finally got the best of him and the ties on their inner robes had been slashed in a hurry. He was always quick to point out in an argument that she was actually the one who suggested that he cut them with his steel claws in the first place, her voice near-pleading.

When he pulled back the final layer of her under robe he marveled at the strange lacy contraption covering her breasts. It looked flimsy, but also very interesting and alluring. The miko blushed as he stared at her and the cute look on her face quickly confirmed to him that he wanted to keep it intact. The thing he would later learn was a bra had to be something from her time, which meant it would be difficult to get a replacement… but how did he get it off? His claws trailed over the silky and lacy material, checking everywhere for some trick to getting the object off without ripping it. Eventually Kagome stammered out.

"D-do you…l-like this?"

He nodded eagerly.

"Okay, then…"

She shifted slightly; bringing her arms behind her back to expertly undo the clips. The garment sagged, fell forward, and was immediately caught by the half-demon. He held it gently by one of the cups as if it was made out of glass; turning it this way and that. It was a fascinating piece of work to him and he inspected it carefully. Kagome soon realized that he had become more engrossed in the object than with her and she cleared her throat impatiently. His sunset hued orbs darted away from his investigation of her bra to her face and he beamed at her.

"This is cool. Do you have more?"

She gave an embarrassed titter, her hands rose to her cheeks to hide the blush that had grown even darker. "N-no, pervert. It wasn't like I packed or anything before I came here…"

"Oh." Inu Yasha looked only slightly disappointed, then mentally compromised that he would just have to make sure he took good care of it. He set the object to the side of their futon like it was a holy relic and settled down on his side next to her, then blinked.

"Oi, I'm not a pervert!"

Her hands moved up to cover her eyes and he grabbed them away from her face. She then tried to roll away from him to her other side to hide from him, suddenly much more aware of her nakedness. The hanyou took the move as a challenge and clambered on top of her, straddling her hips as he pushed her hands away to either side of her head to keep her from moving.

"Sit, still! What're you… ooh…"

His eyes moved from her face to her chest. He'd seen her breasts before on a number of occasions but not at such close proximity. They were a hundred times more remarkable than the bra and he couldn't help but gaze at them. She had perfectly unmarked alabaster skin except where two buds were dark pink. Words slipped out of his lips before his brain caught up with them.

"…Those are very, very nice."

The young virgin suddenly felt even more exposed and wriggled under him, her face burning with embarrassment and something else she had never experienced before. She suddenly realized that she _liked_ that he liked what he was seeing! The thought was so alien to her that it was almost scary. Her girlish embarrassment led her mind to respond in the only way it knew how.

"Eek, d-don't look at me! Sit!"

Inu Yasha realized the chain reaction of emotions playing on her face at the last possible second. Knowing the inevitable was coming he put all his energy into his neck and somehow managed to keep his head to the side as he came crashing down on top of her. His forehead hit the futon with a dull *whump* mere centimeters from her head. With a dull sense of relief he noted he had saved her from a terrible head collision at the last instant. The miko had only a brief moment to tense her stomach muscles before he thudded into her but it was enough to save her from having the breath knocked out of her. It still hurt quite a bit, regardless.

She squirmed uncomfortably beneath him and stuttered a half dozen sorrys to the ceiling. He groaned and said something unintelligible to the mattress in response. She wriggled her wrists free of his hands and reached around his back to cup his cheeks and bring his face up to look her in the eyes. What she saw was a glazed look in his eyes and flushed cheeks, his breath short and heavy.

Kagome panicked and shifted slightly lower to get a better hold on his face, "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"N-no… yes… I mean…no….wait, what?" He mumbled, his attention fully focused on her body moving beneath him.

The bump to his head had been cushioned by the futon and he had been more stunned to her order than anything else when it connected. However, he was at a total loss when she started to wiggle around. If he had wanted to be angry about being sat then in that instant it was completely forgotten. His woman's concerns ignored. Her hands moved to his shoulders and she gave them a little shake, worrying that he might have received a concussion.

"Hey! Answer me! Are you okay?"

Without a word he grabbed her hip in one hand and pressed himself against her, "Shh, no more talking."

Kagome gave a tiny surprised gasp and dropped his face in favor of wrapping her arms around his back. Her husband tucked his head into the crook of her shoulder as his free hand roamed the side of her body. She, in turn, arched her back into his chest and gave short gasp. The girl was surprised to notice that the palms of his hands were not hard and callused but soft and warm. His regenerative abilities did not allow for scars to form, so it made sense then that neither would calluses. He continued to push against her hips blindly for several minutes before it registered that she had yet another barrier between them. His claws tugged down the offending garment until Kagome could kick it away.

Their lips met again when they were completely free of clothing. Instinct told both of them what was supposed to happen next but inexperience got in the way. Inu Yasha had to try several times before he managed to press into her in a way that was comfortable for the both of them. Even then, it was a tight fit and slow progress for the girl who had never been with anyone at all. The sheer act of entering her after all that work sent them both over the edge almost immediately. The only noise made between them was a tiny relieved gasp from Kagome and a strangled groan from Inu Yasha.

He collapsed on top of her, sweaty from the effort and abuse he had taken to get so far. When she tried to move he clutched her to him and shook his head wordlessly. There was no way he was about to leave her when he had spent all that work getting there in the first place! Kagome stilled and let her hands fall against the small of his back. Gradually, his weight on her chest began to bother her and she tapped on his spine with her knuckles until he reluctantly released her.

He rolled off of her and settled at her side with an arm stretched across her waist. One golden eye cracked open to observe the girl who had become somewhat fidgety.

"You need to get washed, don't you?"

Her eyes stared back at him with an expression of surprise. Her shock amused him.

"Yes, Kagome, I _do_ know you that well."

It had not taken him terribly long to see the correlation between the times he carried her and her desire to bathe. Whenever he had carried her after a big fight between a demon and he had become sweaty he knew that once he put her down she would immediately seek out a hot spring or river. The humans from her time period seemed to have an obsession with cleanliness and she was no exception. It had become a source of amusement for the half demon. With his consent she scooted away from his warm grasp and pulled on a simple kimono Sango had given her the day before. Once she was fully dressed she tied her hair up in a messy bun on top of her head and headed out the door. When she stepped out onto the front porch the miko discovered Sango waiting patiently for her alone. She carried a bucket with some washcloths tucked inside.

Kagome smiled, "How did you know?"

The huntress laughed and led her friend away from the house; lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I didn't know you'd be coming out now. I just guessed from what I remembered about my wedding night."

The priestess blushed and allowed Sango to lead her off in the direction of a nearby hot spring the locals used for bathing purposes. Kagome reflected on the warmth she had missed from her friends while she was gone, one of the first being how well everyone seemed to know her. In just two days she already felt like she was back home where she belonged and her friends seemed to have picked up right where they had left off. It almost felt as if her absence had never happened and her mind was completely at peace.

-*-


	4. Tomorrow's Worries

-*-

**Author's thanks: Splendent Goddess made an excellent point about not worrying too much about which canon to follow. You're absolutely right. There will definitely be some trials for the gang from here on out. Some of them will be historically-oriented and some will be demon-related. **

**A big thank-you goes out to Raian who helpfully pointed out that there is indeed a shrine in the Sengoku period. I really do care to keep things as close to the way it was in the manga (since I am going to stick mostly to that from here on out) as possible but there's quite a bit of stuff there to try and remember. Your specific references make it a lot easier for me to go back and re-read or re-watch scenes so I can get the details right. **

**Author's Notes: Hooray! I finally made it to the end of the manga's epilogue! The meat and potatoes of Inu Yasha's and the gang's story should start coming into play from here on out. **

-*-

It had been a few weeks since the wedding and the village had begun to return to routine life. The excitement over Kagome's return and subsequent marriage had died out after a week. True to her word, Kaede began training the village's newest miko after a three day 'honeymoon' with Inu Yasha. The honeymoon consisted of a visit to the village shrine to pray that the gods would bless their union, more catching up with Sango and Miroku about their life together, and demonstrations from Shippo of the new magic tricks he had learned from the mysterious kitsune in the woods.

On that morning Kagome had been sent to gather some medicinal herbs around the outer fringes of the forest. Inu Yasha always followed close behind. He would not leave her alone again if he could help it. Later on in the afternoon the miko returned to the village and brought the basket of herbs to Kaede. The elderly woman, as she did every day, would pick through the basket and show her which ones were the correct herbs and which ones were not. Each week the basket had fewer and fewer duds than the last. As always, Kagome was a quick study. Once Kaede had finished she would send the girl back out to sort and separate the herbs, strip the leaves, stems, or roots, and then carefully bundled up in colored cloths which were used to identify each ingredient for later use.

They often sat together in a nearby field and talked about anything and everything while Kagome worked. As they talked about Rin and her stay in the village a flitting shadow caught their attention. The two paused to look up only to see Sesshoumaru streaking across the sky. It occurred to her that the great lord would not know about their marriage so she called out cheerily to him.

"**Onii-saan!"**

Sesshoumaru's normally blank features darkened into a slight frown and a glare in her direction. Kagome could only conclude that he found the news to be an unpleasant surprise and she pouted.

"**Aw, he made a really mean face at me, and Inu Yasha, so are you."**

The half demon scowled and replied, **"That had a really nasty ring to it."**

Her dark eyes turned to regard him, "Oh hush, you. You know I didn't mean it like that."

A thoughtful look crossed his face for a moment and stood up from the grass, "Hey, I'll be right back. I'm going to ask him about those youkai attacks."

"You think it's that serious?" She blinked, frowning slightly.

"No, and I don't want to but, I've never seen youkai attack their kin like that before. He might have though; he is two hundred years older than me, after all."

Knowing more questions could not be long in coming; Inu Yasha sauntered down the grassy hill back towards the village.

-*-

Jaken leaned against his two-headed staff, bored and half-asleep while he waited for his lord to conclude his visit with Rin. The harsh voice of his less-than-savory half brother startled the impish youkai from his reverie.

"Oi, Jaken! Wake up for a second."

The demon burbled something about manners at him initially, but not for too long. He was a nervous sort of being and was not about to risk a pounding from an irritable dog demon.

"When Sesshoumaru is done playing house tell him I gotta talk to him."

Inu Yasha knew better than to burst in unannounced on the Lord of the Western Lands. It had nothing to do with fear but more to do with cooperation. While Kagome had been gone it had become necessary to speak with his brother on several occasions. For the most part they were concerns related to Rin but occasionally Sesshoumaru would have important information about demonic activity that could possibly come near their village. The great Lord always made sure to emphasize that such information was to help Inu Yasha effectively guard Rin in his absence and that in no way meant that he cared for anyone else in the village. Over the last three years Inu Yasha had gradually learned that it was easier and faster to glean information from Sesshoumaru when he employed the polite societal method of inquiring through Jaken.

"What do you wish to ask of my Lord?" The little green imp questioned.

"I wanna know if he's seen or heard of any youkai going berserk."

Jaken gave a derisive snort, "Aren't all the feral ones berserk? Why would I bother asking this question?"

"No, it's different." Inu Yasha replied. "These demons are raiding villages alone, just running right in and tearing up anything they can lay their claws on. They're also attacking their own kind."

"That sounds like a frivolous turf war. I still see no reason to ask this."

A muffled pop emitted from beneath the sleeves of the hanyou's haori. Jaken knew he had to be cracking his knuckles; a clear indication that his insolent tone was getting under Inu Yasha's skin. The imp watched him take a quiet breath to check his building rage.

Inu Yasha spoke through gritted teeth, a single fang poked out of the corner of his lips, "We thought so, too, but for the past couple of months we've been finding dens filled with youkai who have killed each other and their own kin."

That piqued the imp's interest though he was still a tad suspicious, "…And how do you know that these youkai are doing it and not someone else?"

"Feh, do I really have to waste my time explaining all that? Fine, the dens we find don't have the scent of any other demon but their own. There're never any track marks coming in or out and the only blood I can scent is on each other. We've even found a few nests where it looks like a female ate her own young and then just sat there and starved to death."

Instead of the snarky comeback Inu Yasha had come to expect he was met with complete silence. He watched as the imp closed his bulging eyes and the large wrinkle over his forehead deepened. Jaken shifted his weight from one foot to the other in a way the hanyou had come to learn meant that he was thinking hard. Finally, the bug eyes opened again.

"This subject may be worthy for my master. I shall inquire on your behalf later today."

-*-

True to his word, Jaken found Inu Yasha later on in the day. Kagome's miko lessons had concluded for the day and the two happened to be enjoying a late lunch on the porch of their house.

"The master would like you to know that he does not appreciate you and lady Kagome filling Rin's head with visions of primitive weddings."

Incensed, the hanyou shot back crossly, "Oh yeah? Just how would Sesshoumaru plan Rin's wedding?"

Jaken was taken aback and spent the next several minutes burbling about the half demon's rudeness and the absurdity of his baseless critiques against his great lord. Kagome held her hand to her mouth to cover an amused smile, pleasantly surprised when her husband fought back with clever words rather than threats of violence. The hanyou's gilded eyes caught the gesture and he gave her a cocky grin. She did not need to be polite to the little bastard, but he gave her credit for trying.

The imp pretended to brush invisible dirt off his clothes in an effort to gain back some of his haughty attitude before deciding to simply move on with the rest of his message, "Ahem, my lord has only seen the kin-eating you described once and that happened in the domain of one of the northern lords. However, that occurred nearly seventy-five years ago and was caused by a terrible blizzard which created a famine in the region for several months."

Jaken drew in a breath, allowing the half-demon he considered a simpleton to digest his words for a few moments before he jumped back in. "There is no evidence of such food shortages in this land that would cause youkai to eat their young. I think you have misjudged a simple turf war but my lord seems to think otherwise. He will make some inquiries and if he finds some cause that may be troubling then he will send me, his faithful attendant, with whatever new information he has obtained. If you do not hear from me then your concern was unfounded. Also, my lord insists that you do not share your concerns with other youkai or humans, and that is all."

"Feh, as if I would." Inu Yasha grumbled, while his eyes followed the retreating back of the little green youkai.

His brows came together as he frowned. Sesshoumaru's message was not what he had hoped for and now he was beginning to worry. He had hoped that his half brother would pass along a disdainful message that complained he would not waste his time on such a trivial thing. Instead, Sesshoumaru was concerned enough to look into the matter personally. Inu Yasha's hand slid to the hilt of his Tetsusaiga and absently fingered the braided leather. She had been back only a few weeks and already a potential threat loomed on the horizon. It seemed that all of the exterminating he had done with Miroku in the hope of creating a safer world for her had been for naught.

Kagome watched his eyes flick towards her and caught the faint flicker of emotion that darkened his handsome features. She knew the look well; it was guilt. With a soft smile she reached out and touched the hand that hovered over grip of his blade.

"I can guess what you're thinking, Inu Yasha, and I'll tell you right now that it doesn't matter."

He watched her fingers curl around his hand. "What doesn't matter?"

"Trouble or no trouble; it doesn't matter to me. This is where I want to be…right here, with you." She watched his face, waiting for his response.

The hanyou was quiet, then suddenly his gaze hardened and his jaw clenched. "There shouldn't be _any_ trouble."

The miko simply smiled, the dog demon could not help relaxing a little when his eyes finally met hers.

"So, what?" she retorted. "There was danger in my time, too. If I was there then how could you protect me from trouble? Would you have left me all alone?"

His eyes widened in shock. He had always thought that she ought to stay in her time—a time that, as far as he could tell, was demon free—because it was safe. She had people who needed her; at the time it seemed like it had to be the right choice. And yet, he had not even considered that she might feel _abandoned_. To him, abandonment was a fate worse than death. His parents were the first to leave him through death, then his brother to the wild, and then Kikyo through death again. It was horrifying to think that he might have done the exact same thing to her. Instinctively he reached out and pulled her in to a tight, protective embrace.

"No! Never! I wouldn't… I didn't mean to…" He sputtered and buried his face into her hair to capture her scent, struggling to explain himself and apologize.

Kagome slid her arms around his middle. "Its okay, Inu Yasha, I just want to be with you, no matter what."

She felt his hold on her relax slightly as her words sunk in and calmed him. He remained silent while she continued to think. It really did not matter to her as long as she could wake up to another morning without the fear that she would wake up in her time and she would be alone. No, she would never have to worry about it again; they were bound together. Her tomorrow was his tomorrow.

Kagome smiled into his chest as a thought crossed her mind, _**"Inu Yasha and I are bound to tomorrow."**_


	5. Ask the Sun

-*-

**Author Thanks: kpcollin, thanks for the info about the Musashi province. It was a big help when I was researching. I'm thinking about using Adachi prefecture as the historical basis for the village…**

**More thanks go to Darkil who gave me a very specific description of what has been seen of the shrine. That's very, very helpful for me. Also, I'm not a boy but I live with my fiancé and it bugs him just as much to read or see stuff where every guy (especially if it's obvious he's a virgin) is the master of sex. It's just kind of silly. I'm sure a really detailed lemon ups then enjoyment factor but I get hung up on this feeling that it's just not plausible. One of the best fictions I've read that had reasonable lemons was Ruri Hoshino's Blue Seed fan fiction called **_**Dreamer Awakened**_**. The guy knows what he's doing but it makes sense in his case because the anime implies that he was likely sexually active. Ah! I wish I could write half as well as she could! Anyway, I'm glad I've heard from a few guys and they've all been in agreement about the way I wrote the lemon. That makes me feel pretty good. **

**Author's note: You can expect several smaller story arcs along with major arcs. Some of them might tie into major arcs and others might be fairly standalone. I'll try to make sure to keep things organized in a way that standalone arcs will be in their own chapter but obviously major ones will span several chapters. Later on when I can see what arcs go where I can re-label the chapters to identify the arcs so that there's less confusion. Also, if you have ideas about where the plot might be heading or even things you thought might be interesting in the story go ahead and e-mail me. If you think you have an idea about where the plot might be heading it might be best to send a private message or e-mail so that the story doesn't potentially get spoiled for others. I am always happy to chat about the story and bounce ideas! **

**About the ceremony: I made up a lot of the ritual because I did not have a whole lot of step-by-step information about how the priestess would perform it. Using what information I could find about Shinto practices I simplified the procedures a little. I assumed that Shinto practices would not get super-complicated until later on in history. **

-*-

_Three years ago…_

In a cold, dark cavern hidden away in a nigh-inaccessible region of the Hotaka Mountains pulsing masses of…something… suddenly vanished forever. The writhing, fleshy substance left behind a single black seed. It fell to the stone floor, free of the restraints placed upon it. The moment it struck the hard ground it sprouted as if the floor was not stone but fertile earth. Dark green tendrils bored into the rock and instantly began to expand, dislodging debris in its wake. Eventually the cave was covered in scraggly blackish-green vines. At the furthest end of the cave the vines coalesced into a central shoot.

Days later the shoot would become a single pod. Hours after the pod had been completely formed it split down the middle and out from it stepped a man. The man was nude with long hair the color of flax and ruby red eyes. He silently observed his surroundings for several minutes before he reached out to touch one of the vine-covered walls. Immediately, the vines shuddered and crawled towards his fingers. They wrapped around his arms and wove their way down his back and chest, molding and shifting until they were no longer vines but clothing.

The flesh had whispered to him while he slept. It told him a great story that was so fantastic that he refused to believe it. The flesh promised that he would know the tale was real should they ever disappear. In the event that his cocoon did disappear the flesh had given him instructions.

The man stepped towards the entrance of the cave, lifted his hand with his wrist towards his lips, and exhaled. Spores appeared in a yellow cloud and flitted into the air to be carried off by the wind.

-*-

_Three years and some months later…_

"Inu Yasha, hurry up!" Kagome bellowed from the porch of their house.

The miko shivered and clutched her shawl closer to her body, watching her breath puff out into the air. Winter had descended on the village and her priestess robes did not seem to hold in her body heat very well, even though she had layered up beneath it considerably. Another shiver caused her teeth to chatter and encouraged her to holler for her hanyou again; this time his disgruntled and sleepy groan filtered back to her ears.

"Damn it, it's too early." The dog demon slid their front door open and glared at her.

Kagome had only just discovered that his sleep cycles were heavily guided by the sun. He preferred to wake at the advent of the first rays of the sun and sleep as soon as they set. In the fall it had not really been a problem. However, in the midst of winter with the sun setting earlier and rising later he had a tendency to sleep in. Unfortunately she had grown so accustomed to the half-demon rousing her to drag her off to gods-knew-where that she had not been prepared to have to wake on her own now that they were together.

Kaede had been preparing her for a ceremony to encourage the sun to extend its' daylight hours. It involved a ritual cleansing followed by a dance to encourage Amaterasu to come out of her cave. All the villagers attended the ceremony and Miroku had been making quite a fuss about it. Sango had wailed on him more times than the miko could count because he seemed a little too excited to watch the girl dance.

Inu Yasha bit back a curse as he sauntered out into the cold. His golden eyes shifted to his shivering wife. She would get even colder when she was purified in the nearby stream. He would perch in a tree a few hundred feet away to watch over her should it be too cold for her soft human body.

The two made their way to a stream where a wooden table was set up. By the time she had looked back to ask him to leave Inu Yasha had already disappeared into the trees. She groaned inwardly. The mere thought of having to undress in such weather made her cringe but she did it anyhow. She left her robes on the small table and then quickly dressed in the light bathing robe. Kagome breathed a quick prayer and then headed into the river, unable to stop the sharp intake of breath that hit her when the ice cold water needled her ankles. Distantly she heard the dog-demon give a short, concerned whine. She performed the cleansing ritual at the speed of light by bending over to cup the water between her hands, raising it to her lips to purify her mouth, then dipped each of her hands to cleanse each palm in turn, and then quickly hurried back out of the water. Hurriedly, the miko shed her bathing robe, donned her priestess garb once more, and then called for her protector.

In mere moments the dog demon dropped down beside her. More than anything he wanted to grab her and rub the warmth back into her skin that he knew she needed. Instead, he kept his hands stuffed into the sleeves into his haori, knowing well that she would have to endure a repeat cleansing if any demon happened to touch her before she had a chance to perform the ritual.

Kaede met the couple on the outskirts of the village; a cursory glance at the distressed and irritated look on the hanyou's face confirmed that he had kept his promise not to touch the miko. He grumbled for the two women to hurry up. The sooner Kagome got her duties over with the sooner he could drag her back to their warm home before she caught a cold. He felt strange walking up the stone stairs to the shrine beside the elder and younger priestesses. For obvious reasons, demons were not allowed to attend holy rituals; however, Kagome insisted they make exception for her husband and Shippo. Kaede allowed the demons to come up the stairs but insisted that they keep their feet outside the main grounds around the shrine since neither could touch the water trough meant to cleanse their hands and feet. Inu Yasha had attempted it once and had gotten his fingers burned for his trouble; after that he was not about to try cleansing his mouth.

Inu Yasha broke away from the two women when they neared the top of the stairs. Shippo eventually appeared next to him, opting to sit on his shoulder to watch the ritual. The dog demon made sure to give him a long-suffering look which the kitsune completely ignored. The boy knew Kagome had given him strict instructions not to attack him for any reason; he could feel the tension rippling in Inu Yasha's shoulder muscles as he forced himself to keep his anger in check.

The shrine was quiet; both demons found it to be uncomfortably so. Their eyes shifted about listlessly then suddenly snapped forward as Kagome emerged from one of the shrine buildings and made her way to a platform set up in the center of the shrine grounds. Drums began to beat, causing Inu Yasha to instinctively flatten his pointed ears against his skull. Shippo winced. Their sensitive ears were none too thrilled to hear them; the sound seemed to reverberate in their skulls painfully. Still, they continued to stay put. However, their pains were immediately forgotten when Kagome began to move.

Her dance was fascinating. She began to move slowly, with direct, carefully choreographed movements that gradually picked up in speed. The drum beat picked up in time to the beat of her feet and hands as if it goaded her to move faster and faster. The air around them seemed to grow heavy and buzzed with energy. Suddenly, Shippo stood up stiffly on his shoulder and squealed that she was glowing. Gilded eyes that had been following the miko closely squinted as Inu Yasha tried to see what the kitsune saw. He could hear an intensely loud buzzing sound but saw no other changes in Kagome. However, one glance at Shippo, who had begun to point and bounce up and down excitedly, told the dog demon that he still saw it. His gaze turned to scan the village audience quickly until he caught the glimmer of Miroku's staff standing tall above the crowd. His sharp eyes watched as the man blinked, raised a hand to rub his eyes, and then blinked again. _Miroku is seeing it too_, Inu Yasha thought nervously, wondering what the kitsune and the houshi were viewing that he could not. As the drums were beginning to reach the climactic conclusion of Kagome's dance another change caught the dog demon's attention. He scent had changed. His sensitive nose had immediately recognized the transition as her scent went from the comforting one he knew to a strange, foreign odor that smelled sweet yet marked the woman dancing before him as a completely different person.

Alarmed, he stepped forward until Shippo tugged at one of his ears, bringing the half demon to a halt. Angered, Inu Yasha snapped his head up to glare down the fox demon as he snarled, but was forced to turn his gaze up when the boy gasped and pointed at the sky. To his utter astonishment, the clouds began to shift and part, revealing a powder blue sky right above the shrine. Villagers gaped in awe-struck silence at the spectacle but had little time to react otherwise because the dance suddenly came to its' climactic conclusion. By the time Inu Yasha's eyes had flicked back to the woman on stage Kagome's scent had returned to normal.

He made to stomp down to Kagome and demand an explanation but was once again brought to a complete stand-still; this time, by her. Her eyes locked onto his location from a distance no human should have been able to manage. His sharp eyes made out the peaceful smile on her lips and then she mouthed the words _"I'm okay. Stay there."_

He groaned impatiently and crossed his arms over his chest but somehow managed to stay put. He could see Kaede and Miroku speak with Kagome for several minutes; she was supposed to hand out charms and talismans to the villagers after the event, instead he watched her hand over the objects to the elder miko and houshi. The young miko then immediately set her eyes on the last place she had sensed Inu Yasha and set out in that direction towards him. It took her many more minutes to pick her way through the crowds of excited villagers to the waiting demon. When she finally closed the last few feet to them Shippo launched his little body off of Inu Yasha's shoulder and into her waiting arms.

"Kagome, you were glowing!" The boy gushed excitedly.

Her dark eyes locked on Inu Yasha's golden ones, shooting him a querying look, but he shrugged his shoulders. He had no clue what the kid had seen.

"Glowing?" She questioned.

"Uh-huh!" Shippo bobbed his head up and down in a vigorous nod. "You were dancing and then the sky opened up and then you glowed! It was so awesome!"

"I didn't see any—…"

"—your scent changed." Inu Yasha interrupted, brooding, concern knotted his brows. "For a second you smelled…" He shut his eyes, turned his head up to the sky, and unconsciously attempted to catch the fleeting scent a second time. Immediately they snapped open, unable to hide his shock. "It's gone! What the hell?"

The dog demon stalked a circle around her and sniffed the air. When the smell continued to elude him he dropped to his hands and knees and snuffled the ground. He crawled towards the miko, so absorbed in catching the phantom signature that he bumped his head into her calf. Kagome gave a surprised squeak when his claw shot out and grabbed her shin. The hanyou tugged the limb to his face, nearly toppling her in the process. She wobbled on one unsteady foot clutching Shippo; blushing furiously and rendered speechless from embarrassment. Abruptly, her foot was released and she stumbled forward in an attempt to regain her footing.

"It's not _here_. Where the hell did it go?" His golden glare followed her as she tripped and then recovered.

"Just what _are_ you talking about?" She bellowed, her hands would have balled into tight fists had she not been holding the young kitsune.

He was taken aback by her rage, having just remembered she had seen nothing and could smell nothing. Other thoughts immediately followed. A scent with no trace could not possibly happen, it always left a trail. He cursed his ill-fortune and stood up.

"I uh… I thought... that you were wearing something…er…something that changed your scent?" Inu Yasha phrased the last part in the form of a question in hopes that she might confirm his fib.

He figured it was pointless to tell her that he was chasing a phantom smell that was already gone. She would likely sit him for it. Kagome narrowed her dark eyes at the demon; the look she gave him told him she had not bought the story. He could feel sweat build up on his brow. He was in big trouble.

"Kagome, may I have a word with you?" Miroku's voice spared the hanyou further scrutiny.

The enraged look dissolved from her features as she turned towards the approaching houshi accompanied by Kaede.

"Sure thing," She chirped cheerily; then her head snapped back towards the silver-haired half demon, "We'll discuss this later." She muttered quietly as she knew all too well that he could easily pick up the sound.

The fearful look that flashed across his features briefly confirmed to her that he had heard. Without a second glance she shuffled away from him, with Shippo in tow, towards the two approaching figures. Inu Yasha followed a calculated distance behind her, close enough to be within earshot, but far enough to be out of her peripheral vision. To him it was better to stay out of sight and out of mind and hope that the young miko would forget the incident.

Miroku's staff tinkled quietly when he shifted his hand to clear his throat, "Ahem, well, Kagome, Kaede and I wanted to ask you if you had noticed anything different while you were performing the ritual?"

She blinked, perplexed and briefly replayed the ritual in her mind before hesitantly responding, "No, why?"

Kaede took in a breath, a brief pause to carefully prepare her words, "When ye were performing, do ye remember exactly what ye did at the end of the ceremony? Remind me which step position ye were in."

She looked at the old woman as if she had asked a ridiculous question, "Well of course I remember! I remember I had my hands raised and then…" Kagome trailed off, she knew the final few steps instinctively because they had been drilled into her mind during practice, but the memory of actually performing those steps on the stage eluded her.

Kaede nodded shrewdly when she saw the lost look on her face, "I thought so. Did ye ever channel a spirit in your time?"

She shook her head, Inu Yasha gave an uncomfortable grunt, he did not like where her line of questions was headed.

"I think ye did, it happens to the most powerful miko on occasion… but, we've never seen such light with it."

Miroku nodded, "Yes, both of us saw it."

"I didn't see anything." Kagome argued, inspecting her clothes as if some of the light they had mentioned might appear. "If I could see the shards as light, why didn't I see it?"

"That I can't tell ye; neither of us has seen anything like it before and I don't think the villagers saw anything either."

Miroku turned to Inu Yasha to ask the question he knew would inevitably follow, so the hanyou beat him to the punch. "No, I didn't see anything—

--but I saw it!" Shippo piped in.

"…But how?" Kagome queried, completely confused.

"Bah! That's easy." Inu Yasha snorted indignantly, "Kitsune aren't like other demons. Their blood doesn't drive them to kill…" _Like my youkai blood_, his mind whispered as his frown deepened.

"What he means is that they share a different kind of blood. You see, Kitsune can be vassals for deities." Miroku continued. "They are deeply connected to the Kami; that might explain why our friend Shippo saw the same thing we saw, but not Inu Yasha or the villagers."

Feeling somewhat left out of the conversation the dog demon quickly pointed out, "I _did_ notice her scent changed at the same time Shippo was shrieking in my damn ears."

"So that's what that was about!" Kagome exploded and watched as Inu Yasha nearly sat himself in anticipation of the dreaded word.

Kaede salvaged the situation. "Kagome must have channeled a spirit. Only a powerful spirit would have caused her scent to change as Inu Yasha described."

Miroku concurred and watched Inu Yasha's claws drift down to the hilt of his sword. The half demon was concerned; it was one of his trademark tells. Kaede noticed it as well and spoke up.

"It would not hurt her, dear. She shall be fine."

Inu Yasha did not look convinced until Kagome nodded. "She's right, Inu Yasha, I feel fine. I feel better than fine, actually, I…"

Her eyes locked on his, her lips parted to say something, then compressed as she sucked in her lower lip and chewed on it for a moment. He could tell the miko wanted to tell him something; she kept looking at him and then down to the sleeve of her robe where her fingers absently picked at the material. Whatever it was she did not want to say it in front of everyone else.

"I think I should take her back home. Its cold, she's done enough. We'll talk more about this tomorrow." He said as he moved into position in front of the girl so that she could climb onto his back.

Before she did she handed off Shippo to Miroku who gave the couple a questioning look and began to protest but Inu Yasha shot him an expression that the houshi knew meant that all conversations were over. Minutes later they took off. Kaede placed a restraining hand on the priest's arm when he made to follow them.

"Nay, priest. Leave them be. They'll be fine if my theory is right about the lady Kagome. In the meantime, I would like ye to come with me. I've got some scrolls I'd like ye to look at; I want to make sure I'm right about this..."

-*-

Inu Yasha touched down on the other side of the village and gently deposited his wife onto the front porch. He had tried to scent her several times to see if it had changed again but the wind blew against them and he could discern little except her usual familiar smell. The miko was shivering from the frigid flight through the woods and she hustled indoors. Immediately, she shuffled over to the hearth in the center of the main living space, grabbed the two flint stones near by and struck them until a nice fire began to burn. Her husband watched her from a distance, still concerned as he observed her making using busy work to avoid whatever it was that happened to be bothering her. When she made to put more wood on an already blazing fire he strode forward and caught her wrist, forcing her to look up at him.

"All right now; tell me what's going on. You've stalled enough."

Suddenly her face was a dark shade of crimson, her eyes wide with surprise. She opened and closed her mouth to speak but the words would not come out. It was so unlike her to be so silent it scared him so he yanked her up towards him and held her near his face, staring her down.

"Tell me Kagome! What's wrong?"

Instead of speaking she grabbed him and pulled his head down to her lips, kissing him hard. Just then her scent hit him and his eyes widened and he instantly knew what had been bothering her. It was desire, she _wanted_ him; her scent screamed it. She broke the kiss for a moment to confirm it.

"I-I… didn't want to say in front of—mpf!"

He would not let her continue as his lips crushed hers. Why let words ruin a perfectly good mood? Crisis or not, to a man who was mentally barely out of his teens his mind was still ever in the sway of the prospect of sex. Her hands tangled in his silver hair until they found his ears and he nearly dropped to floor, growling his approval. Before he knew it she was tugging at his haori and through some magic his claws had pulled off most of her robes. Eventually their clothing served as an appropriate mattress as neither seemed terribly interested in slowing down enough to make it to the bedroom.

-*-

"Kagome did what?" Miroku looked up from the scroll he had been studying to stare at the aged miko and nearly dropped it.

"I believe she channeled a goddess." She leaned forward to stretch out a scroll. A carefully painted watercolor image of a goddess unfolded. "You know the story of Amaterasu Omikami? Her brother, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, in a drunken stupor destroyed much of Amaterasu's land and when her handmaidens tried to stop him he killed them as well. The goddess was so upset that she locked herself away in cave and the world was plunged into darkness."

"Are you saying that Kagome was channeling Amaterasu?"

"Nay," Kaede shook her gray head, "I believe she channeled Ame-no-Uzume."

"You're saying she channeled the deity who danced in front of the cave to draw her back out?" Miroku blinked.

"Yes, it makes sense doesn't it? A miko will perform the ceremony to draw out the sun in order to call forth the spring. The performance mirrors the same way Uzume danced to draw out the sun goddess from her cave."

The houshi nodded and continued, "That would explain why the channeling was so powerful that the clouds fled the sky and the glowing. But then, why did her scent change?"

"I wondered about that as well." The old miko sighed and rolled up the scroll, "I do not yet know that much but I think ye ought to be going along to bed." Her one good eye drifted to a nearby window. "The sun is setting and ye need to tend to your family."

Miroku stood and gave her a polite bow, "You are too right; I should be getting back home. I'll meditate on this."

When he was at the sliding doors he gave one last look back at the miko, "You shall be the first to know if I think of anything."

-*-

"I'm home!"

Two little fireballs came squealing towards the houshi's knees. He scooped the wriggling girls up into his arms and gave them an affectionate squeeze. Sango appeared moments later carrying the infant on her shoulder as she patted his back.

"Good, you're just in time to help me put the girls to bed."

He nodded and whisked the giggling toddlers off to their room. "Come on girls, its bedtime. Daddy has to talk to mommy."

-*-

Inu Yasha stared up at the ceiling of the living area with Kagome tucked into his side. Normally she would have been dressed by now and gone off to wash. This time though, she had broken tradition and decided to stay put. She was exhausted, after all. A smirk spread across his face at the thought. This time around things had gone much easier. There had been less instruction and direction needed from the other. It relieved him to think that he might be getting better.

Now that his brain had a little bit more processing power available he had begun to muse about Kagome's reaction. The hand that had been resting on her forearm was used to give it a soft shake.

"Oi, Kagome, wake up. I wanna ask you something."

She groaned and cracked one eye open at him, "Hmm?"

Feeling somewhat like an idiot for even asking, but still feeling that it was important he began, "Uh, was… was _that_ what you had to talk to me about?"

She shook some of the sleep from her eyes; her cheeks reddened even though they were already flushed from their previous activities, "Well, yeah. I guess, I just…uhm… missed you…"

He supposed it made some sense. As part of the cleansing ritual they had to abstain for quite some time, though that normally bothered him far more than it bothered her. There was always a first for everything, and that was good enough for him. He smiled and pressed his nose against her hair.

"I missed you too."

-*-

Sango and Miroku sat in the living area of their house and sipped tea near the hearth. The baby slept a few feet away within Sango's arm span as he was still prone to waking up at all hours of the day and night, often disturbing the twins. Miroku had relayed everything he had learned from Kaede. His wife spoke for the first time in a few hours. He noticed that the sweet look she held around her children had transformed into the calculated and neutral expression of a hunter.

"I think the scent change is obvious." She started, "The goddess would want to bring peace to everyone and at the same time scare off any youkai nearby. Youkai and villagers cannot see auras so then what better way to scare them off than with scent?"

"But then why was Inu Yasha not scared by it?" Miroku argued, his brow furrowed in thought.

Sango shot him a familiar look that told him she figured he ought to know better, "Uzume is a deity. Could a deity not tell the difference between good youkai and evil?"

He used the smile that always disarmed her cold looks and reached across the table to squeeze her hand, "That's my Sango, so smart and yet so beautiful!"

"You're a shameless flirt." She rolled her eyes in his direction though the blush on her cheeks hinted that she was pleased with the compliment.

"I'm so much more than a flirt." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her, grinning like a letch.

"Are you now…?"

She reached over to grab up the bundle of baby into her arms. A moment later his son was plunked into his arms. "…Good, then you can feed him when he wakes up."


	6. The Awkward Return

-*-

**I'm in the home stretch of my senior exhibition but somehow managed to find a little bit of inspiration to write another chapter. Like I said before, my updates are going to be sporadic and entirely dependent on my extremely tight schedule, so I'm apologizing again for the delay. I'll definitely be swamped all throughout November and probably most of December, too. My family lives in one state while my fiancé's family lives in another state so we alternate each year over which family we visit for the holidays. This year it's my turn so we're heading back to my snowy hometown. We'll be busy visiting relatives so I doubt I'll have much time to write while I'm there… then again, you never know. It's a 700 mile drive north so maybe I'll be so darn bored I'll write a ton, eh? After that I'll be taking just two more classes to graduate in the spring so I should have plenty of time to write, so bear with me guys!**

**On a different note, I'm totally head over heels for Kaze no Stigma right now and I'm considering writing a story for that one. There's barely anything out there and they're mostly super-short one-shots. **

**Reader Question: Yay! I didn't have one last time and I feel like I missed out. So, I'm looking for anyone who knows a little more Japanese history. I've done a lot of basic research, but I don't have much time right now to devote to any serious history digging. Can anyone give me a brief run-down of major historical events (wars, disasters, etc) in Japan from between 1560 to 1630? I have lots of info past the 1800's but I'm having a hard time finding anything specific before that. Anything involving Edo would be particularly helpful but I'll take any events, too. Extra info will help me turn out the next few chapters faster. **

-*-

It was spring. Morning light glimmered off gently shifting waters in a freshly planted rice field on the outskirts of the farming section of Edo. The scene would have been beautiful if it had not been for the colorful curses carried on the wind.

The wolf youkai grumbled softly to the wind; "I'm _so_ glad to see dog-shit's territory is doing well."

Kouga shook his shaggy brown head in frustration. The long, slow return to Edo had felt like one of defeat. More than six years ago when he had lost his shards to the Naraku he swore an oath to woman who had taken his heart. He would make sure that of Kagome always had safe and secure place in his den in the event that she left the little dog-shit and that when it was secure he would return to Edo to offer her a place at his side on the spot. She could always come to him at any time, regardless, but it gave him the opportunity to check in on her from time to time to make sure the hanyou was keeping her safe and happy.

Such an oath required him to stabilize and strengthen his lands. When word came that Naraku had been defeated he quickly organized his ragtag band of wolves together and they swept through their forests, securing and re-marking every area they could. Before that, Naraku had been such a threat that all of his attention had been forced in the devil's direction. The unfortunate side effect of that distraction had been a weakening of the boundaries of the more remote reaches of his territory. Each time he had returned home from a battle in the dog-demon territories he had been forced to face other crises in his own den. Sometimes, rival wolf packs had tried to make a move while he had been gone, other times the scents that normally warded off the more thick-headed, feral swarms of various youkai had faded from lack of maintenance. Kouga was oftentimes forced back into battle either to reassert his dominance in the pack or to re-establish the borders and drive back bloodthirsty, foolish youkai.

Worse, he had a tendency to return home injured so he was frequently forced to aggravate barely-healed wounds just to maintain his fragile boundaries. The past had been unbelievably difficult, looking back. It was even tougher when he had lost his shards. However, when Naraku had been felled Kouga was finally able to devote all his time to making his homeland safe again. In three years he had begun to turn things around. The gaps in the ranks of his pack had gradually replenished, his borders secured, and all rivals had been banished. He trained his new ranks to protect the humans that lived in his domain; rather than rob them blind. From what he knew of Kagome he was certain that she would not be pleased if he treated any humans in his domain roughly. She seemed to care a lot about that equality bullshit and since humans were never really a threat he decided that it wouldn't kill him to protect them. That one decision had turned out to be a blessing as increased communication with the human towns, though initially incredibly strained, enabled the wolves to have access to human blacksmiths. In turn, the availability of blacksmiths kept their protectors well-equipped with a steady supply of weapons and armor.

Then the feral youkai began to go mad. It started off innocuously enough. The small parties of wolves he directed to guard and re-scent various sections of his land began to return to the den with news of dead feral youkai and frenzied single attacks against humans. Kouga, concerned that the random attacks against the human villages would intensify, employed an idea inspired from word about the hanyou's current lifestyle in Edo. He dispatched a single, highly-ranked wolf youkai to each of the human villages in his domain. Once there he or she would live in close proximity to town and serve as a permanent guard against any feral youkai attacks.

At first the village leaders objected to the arrangement, citing their pack's past history of thefts and claiming that the regular patrols left little necessity for one, but Kouga promised that the guards that the wolves would keep a low profile, leave the humans alone, and otherwise keep to themselves; only making an appearance if a demon struck. Not long later each village relented after it became apparent that the random nature of the feral demon attack made it impossible for patrols to always be close by when it happened. The permanent guards allowed for twenty-four/seven protection without the difficulty of distance to prevent help from arriving in a timely fashion. As an unintended bonus village economies improved dramatically because the immediate assistance helped keep damages down to a minimum. In some areas of Kouga's domain the townspeople had become so pleased with the improvements that they offered permanent places for their demonic guardians to live. Things were looking up for the southern wolf tribe.

In the fourth year of relative peace he began to plan his triumphant come back to Edo. He trained a half year in enemy territories so that he would be completely prepared for the drag-out fight that was bound to erupt from his nemesis, Inu Yasha. However, reports trickled concerning dens of dead youkai and their half-eaten kin. No one, not even their human allies, had any clue as to why it was happening. It was disturbing news, indeed. As the occurrences increased Kouga was forced to turn to the most reliable form of intelligence in the youkai world: Kitsune.

Intelligent, landowning demons (including Lords like Sesshoumaru) inquired of the kitsune during the most uncertain moments in their turbulent history. Kitsune were the (mostly) silent observers of every forest in Japan. Their ability to travel incognito anywhere and everywhere had allowed them to acquire a wealth of information on the world and its inhabitants. Because of this, their calculated predictions were valued by youkai in hard times.

However, it was not easy to get in touch with the kitsune. In order to call one the wolves had to collect an offering of sweet red beans, rice, and tofu, along with a letter requesting whatever information was needed, and then leave it all in an area in the forest where foxes had been sighted recently. The offerings would remain out for a few days, and later the requestor returned to see the results. If the concern was deemed necessary enough then the offering would be gone and a note left in its stead, tied to the closest tree branch. If the question was deemed unworthy by the kitsune then the offering would still be gone but instead of a note left behind there might be anything from piles of twigs and leaves to booby traps. One thing remained constant: No matter what, the offering always disappeared.

That was the problem that drew Kouga to Edo that day. Something had gone wrong with the offering. He needed answers and there was only one kitsune that Kouga knew who did not live in a forest. His sharp nose picked up the boy's scent when the wind changed direction and the wolf demon followed it from the rice fields to the source. A group of human boys and one kitsune sat crouched behind a boulder near what smelled like a hot spring. They whispered conspiratorially to each other, completely unaware of the wolf youkai who had practically snuck up on them; though he hadn't meant to.

"Hey brat, I gotta talk to you." Kouga began irritably, one fist on his hip.

They boys all sucked in a surprised gasp at the same time and whipped around to stare at the man. For several seconds they were unable to speak, too stunned, or by the smell of some of them, too scared to respond. Shippo was the first to regain his composure and he tried to speak in a hurried, yet hushed whisper.

"K-Kouga, w-what are you doing here?"

The wolf demon rolled his eyes, "I don't like repeating myself, damn it."

Shippo blinked, perplexed, "Why would you need to talk to me?" One of the boys elbowed him in the ribs, hissed for him to keep quiet, "Ah! W-well, now's not a good time. I'm busy. C-can you come back…later?"

Incensed, he grabbed the kit by his collar and hauled him up, dangling him in front of his face, "Well your schedule just cleared up."

Kouga was able to get a good look at the boy then. Had it not been for the unchanging nature of the boy's scent he would have barely recognized Shippo. The runt fox had grown significantly since he had last seen him; which was almost nine years. The ginger-haired child had lost much of his chubby-cheeked baby fat around his face. In fact, he had become quite skinny, more bones than muscle at that point because he hadn't grown into them. He could almost laugh. Right now he was awkward and gangly but in a few years he'd probably have a build similar to Inu Yasha. Scrawny little bastards grew up fast.

A splash from the other side of the boulder caught the wolf's attention and a familiar voice called out, "Is somebody there?"

Thrilled to hear Kagome's voice Kouga zipped around the rock with Shippo in tow. It had been so long since he had seen her he could not help but show himself. His bright blue eyes immediately found her and then bugged out of his head. The wolf wondered if he was in a dream because the woman who haunted them stood before him completely nude. Shippo froze as he got an eyeful of his beloved miko; his jaw dropped. Kagome could not speak she was so surprised.

A thud behind the wolf barely caught his attention but the infuriated howl that followed did. Inu Yasha had smelled Kouga at the very last minute and had immediately concluded that he had returned to steal his woman away. Thoughts of tearing the wolf limb from limb surged through his mind while he tracked his scent all the way to the village hot spring. He was completely unprepared for the sight he was about to behold. Kagome stood naked before not only Kouga, but Shippo as well and they were ogling her like she was a piece of fresh meat.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY WOMAN?!" He snarled as he stomped towards them, popping his knuckles.

Galvanized into action by his precarious situation, Shippo began to squirm and babble. The dog-demon stalked closer and the whites of his eyes began to take on a pinkish hue, darkening with each step. The kitsune suddenly remembered something and began to wave his hands hysterically.

"W-w-w-wait, Inu Yasha, don't come any close--!"

The blood rushed through his veins and deafened him before Shippo could finish. The ground beneath the dog demon suddenly disappeared down a large hole with a surprised yelp. All hell broke loose.

Kagome's stunned silence was immediately replaced by a high-pitched shriek as she tried to cover herself while she dropped down into the water to hide. The scream instantly made Kouga drop Shippo who in turn dropped a handful of his spinning tops. At the same time Inu Yasha tried to leap out of the trap but one of the enchanted toys bounced onto his forehead which exploded in a burst of pink smoke and became one hundred times its size. The huge top drilled Inu Yasha's skull and sent him plummeting back into the hole. The kitsune was so terrified that as soon as he hit the dirt he scurried away into the trees. Kouga cursed and sprinted after him without a second thought.

Silence returned to the hot spring. Inu Yasha gave a pained groan from the bottom of the hole. Fearing for her husband, the miko grabbed up her bath robe and hastily tied the belt. She ignored the fact that she had not toweled off and ran over to the edge of the hole where the dog demon had vanished.

"Are you okay?" She gasped.

A long string of colorful curse words was his only response.

-*-


	7. Ominous Departure

**-*-**

**Hey guys and gals, I know my last chapter was short but I wanted to post something just in case I got too busy. This chapter actually contains what was going to be the second half of the last chapter and then some so I hope you enjoy!**

**Author notes: Inumimi, you are indeed correct, chronologically this chapter would take place six years after Kagome returns (the end of the manga's epilogue, for others who are confused) and nine years since Kouga has last seen Shippo or anyone else for that matter. Eventually I'm going to start using dates instead of how long it has been since Kagome came back. The reason I'm not yet using them is because I wanted to get the characters out of the Sengoku period first. The dates I mentioned in the last chapter did not have a ton of detailed information on major events until about the 1600's. I'm afraid to reference too many historical events until then because I don't want to have to re-write major portions of chapters that might depend on the dates. Does that make sense? **

**Reader Question: Does anyone remember how the Kitsune Youjutsu test ranks worked? I know at the end of the manga he was Upper Senior 7****th**** rank, right? In order to ascend the ranks do the levels go backwards? Like, if Shippo reached the top would he be first rank?**

**-*-**

Kouga followed the fox boy's scent through the forest. The little twerp turned out to be pretty fast in a pinch but apparently had no capacity to think far enough ahead to try and throw his scent; otherwise he might have lost him. Unfortunately the kid had run in a straight line and made it far too easy for the faster wolf youkai to catch up. He captured the kitsune when he foolishly chose to transform into a bush but forgot to hide his tail. Kouga grabbed the appendage causing the fox to transform back into his human form. The boy tugged helplessly on his tail a few times before reaching for his pockets only to realize he had dropped all of his enchanted toys in his haste to escape.

"Quit squirming, I'm not going to kill you. I need to talk to you." Kouga grunted.

Shippo dropped his hands and narrowed his eyes at the man through his ginger bangs, "If you think I'm going to help you kidnap Kagome you can think again! Besides, you're too late, she's already mated."

Kouga growled, forgetting his mission for the moment, "Dog-shit just had to go and ruin the order of things, didn't he? I should have gotten her first."

The fox boy raised his eyebrows at the comment, "Wait, you consider Inu Yasha as a _beta_?"

"Of course," He snorted, surprised he even asked, "He has skills far greater than the rest of my pack; he's just not better than _me_."

Wolf youkai were not stupid. They knew skills when they saw them and ranked males accordingly, regardless of pedigree; of course, Kouga's pride would not admit him as an alpha but to be called beta was quite prestigious. Shippo was not about to tell the man that he highly doubted Inu Yasha was willing to share. As if on cue, the dog demon appeared on the scene with Kagome attached to his back. She sported his haori over her bath robe at Inu Yasha's insistence, as if to further cover her up and she wisely accepted, knowing the dangerous mood he was in.

"Oi, wimpy wolf, ready to die?" he snarled, cracking his knuckles.

"Ha, as if you could kill me, dog-shit!" the wolf responded in kind until he suddenly remembered his objective, "As much as I hate to say it, I'll have to take a rain check on beating your ass. I'm not here for her or you, this time."

Shippo grimaced as Kouga turned his attention back on him, "What do you need me for?"

"I need you to find out what the hell happened to the kitsune in my territory."

Inu Yasha snorted, "Let me guess, they took your offering and ran? Did you get a pile of leaves or a big ass pile of twigs?"

The wolf demon crossed his arms, "No, stupid, if they'd just turned me down do you think I'd come all the way out here to ask your pup? Of course not! The kitsune didn't come for the offering at all. Not a single bowl went missing."

"That never happens!" Shippo scoffed, "They always take the offering…" Green eyes suddenly widened and he murmured, "…unless they left the forest."

"That's exactly why I came out here. I figured you might know something. You meet with them."

Kagome watched a mix of emotions play across the boy's face; shock, surprise, confusion, and hurt. Without thinking she mumbled, "He doesn't know."

Kouga's blue eyes flashed in annoyance, "Of course he knows. He's a kitsune, he's _blood_; if they're gone they would have—…"

"Shut up, Kouga!" Inu Yasha snapped.

But it was too late. He could see a different expression in the fox's eyes that he knew very well: a look of one who was lost…abandonment. The demons knew what a missed offering meant. It had happened before when Naraku's powers grew too dangerous. They closed up ranks and vanished.

Confused and worried at the mood that had overtaken the normally bubbly child, Kagome raised her voice, "But, they only disappeared from Kouga's territory… they can't all be gone?"

Shippo looked down at his tan-furred feet, his fingers balled into fists, "No, you don't understand. They always take the offering. They don't always give back but they _always_ take… unless there's a threat. If something bad is going to happen then they leave…_all of them_."

The two men cursed simultaneously. The miko took a step towards the kitsune, his fists were shaking.

"You gotta be wrong." The boy broke the silence. "They wouldn't leave without… without…" he spun around on his heel and took off, heading deeper into the forest.

Inu Yasha felt his wife's light touch on his back in an unspoken message to follow him. He looked back at her and then shot a glance in Kouga's direction, gold eyes narrowing. As if reading his thoughts the wolf demon grunted dismissively.

"I won't touch her; I didn't mean to see her like that in the first place. I'll make sure she gets back to your village safe and sound. Just hurry up and drag his ass back here. We need to know the last thing the kitsune said to him."

The dog-demon huffed at him for daring to order him around but Kagome's insistent tug on his shirt stopped him, "Please, Inu Yasha, I'll be fine. Make sure you bring him home."

The hanyou sighed heavily, pinned another '_don't you even think about touching her_' look on the wolf demon and then leapt away into the forest. When he was gone the miko turned and headed back towards the village, Kouga fell into step beside her and then increased his pace to walk in front of her. After all, it was the only proper thing for an alpha to do.

"You were wise not to go with him." He commented after a short while.

"I was?" She nibbled on her lower lip thoughtfully, "To be honest I really wanted to go but… something stopped me. I'm not sure why."

"If the kitsune really have taken off and they haven't recalled Shippo yet then they'll probably try and contact him very soon to ask him to come with them…." He shot a glance behind him to see if she understood, he knew humans had different standards of common knowledge than youkai but did not want to hurt her pride if he said too much, implying that she was stupid. When she continued to stare at him blankly he added, "They might attack if it looked like a hunting party was chasing him; the more people, the more it looks like a threat… especially if a _miko_ was on his tail."

"Three's a crowd in this case, I suppose…" She murmured; her fingers absently played around the cuff of one sleeve on the fire rat robe.

From behind she could see him place his hands on his hips and shake his head, "Tch! It figures. Just when I had my territory in perfect order the kitsune have to go and ruin it with their damned intelligence. It'll probably take ten years for me to rebuild from whatever disaster they're shitting themselves over."

"Disaster…?" Her stomach began to twist in knots; an unsettling feeling gnawed at her.

Kouga's shoulders tensed from obvious frustration, "Yeah, they did the same thing right before that fucking Naraku started acting up and before that right before a major earthquake. The kitsune know things and if they predict those things are going to become something pretty nasty they go into hiding. They're never wrong." He sighed and scratched his side absently, "I'm trying to build the perfect den for whenever that idiot screws up and now it'll probably get torn to shreds again."

"I'm not going to leave him." The miko asserted.

"Eh, well my offer always stands, all the same. Besides, dog-shit's welcome to be our beta any time. I'll share."

"Share what?"

Kouga did not have time to elaborate on the sharing of a mate because Miroku and Sango came rushing up to them just then. She smiled and waved to them to let them know that she was not in any kind of danger and braced to explain the kitsune situation.

-*-

Meanwhile, Inu Yasha continued to pursue the Shippo through the forest. He made no attempt to mask his scent as he ran and eventually caught sight of the boy's bushy tail ahead. The dog demon supposed that he was headed towards wherever he ran off to take the Youjutsu exam. His thoughts were confirmed moments later when he landed in a large clearing in front of a large inn that was similar to the gang had stumbled upon for Shippo's unintentional first exam. He had just enough time to see the boy in question disappear through the front entrance and barely managed to slip through the door right behind him. The door slid shut with a quiet hiss and when he looked back it had vanished completely.

"Shit. Oi, fox, hold up!" He called out to the retreating kitsune who managed to come to a breathless halt at the sound of the gruff voice.

The second he had stopped the boy bent over and rested his palms on his knees, gasping for breath as overexertion hit him. The dog demon trotted over to him and gave him a solid whack on the head. His green eyes squeezed shut and his hands came up to rub the lump that formed on his skull.

"What…the hell… Inu Yasha…" He spoke between gulps of air, "what'd… what'd you do… that for?"

Not even slightly winded from the run, Inu Yasha crossed his arms and closed his eyes, "Why do you think, stupid? You know you're worrying Kagome half to death right now."

The boy's cheeks turned a dark shade of pink as he continued to rub his scalp but did not respond. One golden orb peeked open to look down at him, though he did not have to look down nearly as far as he used to. He had to admit the little rascal had grown quite a bit, though he still had a thing or two to learn.

"Feh, so are we gonna sit around here all day or are we going to find these assholes or what?"

"Don't call my teachers that…" He grumbled quietly.

Shippo led him down a narrow hallway to a set of sliding doors. There, he stood with furry feet set slightly apart and waved one of his hands as he murmured a chant. The second he finished the doors snapped open of their own accord. Inu Yasha instinctively jumped backwards and bumped his back up against the far wall behind him. The tatami room ahead of them held no furniture or wall coverings, in fact, the room was completely empty except for a lone kitsune with slightly darker colored hair and fur than Shippo and three tails. His knowing, dark blue eyes showed the age his youthful appearance belied.

"I see you made it, but you should have come alone." His voice was quiet yet carried well in the empty room.

Inu Yasha had been edgy since hearing about the disappearance of the kitsune and his impatience quickly got the better of him, "Hey, what the hell is going on here, are you guys really skipping town?"

The teacher ignored him and kept his eyes on Shippo; so the boy seconded the question, "You're really leaving?"

"Yes, kit, we must and we have come to collect you as we always do in such circumstances."

Inu Yasha's eyes widened in surprise at the response, instinctively he slowly planted his feet forward and apart and bent at the knees. One of his hands hovered near the hilt of his sword, though he would not draw it.

The hanyou's lips pulled back slightly as he ground out, "So you're here to take him away?"

The kitsune teacher barely acknowledged the dog demon's existence, the only indication he seemed to give him that he was there was barely perceptible flick of his eyes in his direction.

Shippo rattled off a sudden series of questions. "What's going on? Why do I have to go with you? What's so bad that we need to leave? Can my friends come, too?"

The teacher seemed prepared for the onslaught and waited patiently for the boy to finish before responding, "First, we are not sure what is going on but you should know…" He paused to pin a look on Inu Yasha for a half a beat, "…that the forest feels strange as of yet; disturbed. It reeks of death and it's not natural. We believe something evil is coming, or may already be here, we aren't sure. Either way we cannot become involved in it and risk siding with evil."

A snort emanated from the half demon, "So you turn your ass and run because you're afraid you might make a bad choice?"

The kitsune man continued on as if oblivious to his comment, "We take care of our own, young one. I am sorry but you are the only one who can come with us. Are you ready?"

Shippo turned his green eyes to the tatami floor and examined the claws on his feet, lost in thought, "But, what about Kagome… and everyone else?"

Inu Yasha sighed and shook his head and then sauntered up to him. He remembered all too well how the boy reacted when Kagome had been gone those three years. The runt had worried he had done something wrong to make her stay away and trained like crazy hoping that one day he might be strong enough to find her; make her happy with him. The hanyou could certainly relate and only imagined how worried Shippo might be at the present about leaving her. He laid a reassuring hand on one of his small shoulders.

"If shit happens then it happens, all right? Look, Kagome's not the kind of person to hold a grudge, you know that. If you don't know that then you're an idiot and I _know_ you're a hell of a lot smarter than that. You'll be safe there, okay? She'd be happy to know you're with your people." It hurt a little to say it when he knew neither youkai nor humans had been accepting of a hanyou like him.

Inu Yasha dropped his claw and stepped away from the young man to let him have some space. Just as he did so Shippo finally spoke up.

"I'm…I'm sorry…" He spoke softly, still staring at the floor.

The dog demon's heart sank a little at the thought of him leaving but was relieved that he could be somewhere safe. Breaking the news to Kagome was going to be hard for him but--…

His thoughts were interrupted by the boy, "Teacher, I can't go with you. I couldn't leave my friends here and worry that something bad might happen." The kitsune teacher watched as his pupil raised his head; his eyes bright and uncertain, "Besides, I'm stronger now. I think… I can help."

Inu Yasha gave the boy a smirk that showed the faintest hint of a warm smile buried beneath it, "Good. Now, let's hurry up and get back home. I missed a wimpy wolf beat down to come find you."

The teacher cleared his throat to gain their attention. "I won't ask you again, I can see that this is what you want. Very well, be aware that I will not be able to teach you once we are gone, however you should get plenty of practice out in the field on your own. Be aware that when it is time again for you to take the Youjutsu exam that we will come to you. Do not search for us."

The ginger haired kitsune bobbed his head several times happily, "Yes, teacher, I understand, thank you." With that he dashed out of the room; excited to return home to Kagome and his friends.

Inu Yasha gave the elder kitsune a curt nod and turned to leave only to be halted by the teacher once more, "I apologize for ignoring you earlier but there are rules of etiquette I must follow when in the presence of a student. I can see you've taken good care of the boy and I expect you'll continue to do the same?"

"Feh, of course, why wouldn't I?"

"You're not blood to him, yet you protect him."

"I don't see why that has to be a reason to protect someone." He argued back irritably; his blood ties certainly had not earned him any protection from his half brother, after all.

"Interesting," He mused and tapped his chin with a clawed digit, "At the moment you're quite the exception but there have been whispers of change in the woods since your mate arrived. Her kindness may very well be infectious one day."

Always uncomfortable with compliments, the dog demon merely shrugged.

"Before you go," the teacher began while Inu Yasha groaned inwardly and silently wondered if the kitsune would ever let him return home to his mate, "I'm going to give you a bit of information, consider it a gift for taking care of my student. The dead youkai your friends and Kouga's clan keep finding isn't natural. However, we know for certain it isn't Naraku causing this."

"So then there's someone running around killing feral youkai by making them kill each other or go crazy?" The incredulity in the hanyou's voice was noticeable.

The kitsune pressed his lips together in a tense frown. "Possibly, the threat could very well be human. The humans have a lot to gain by wiping out the youkai. Also, there are significantly less attacks in the winter. We're not sure why."

"A human threat doesn't seem that big of a deal." Inu Yasha replied, tracing the hilt of his sword a few times out of habit.

"Perhaps, or perhaps not, either way we think this person will start targeting intelligent youkai next; that is why we are leaving."

The words of the kitsune teacher caused the half demon to curse softly under his breath. He would have to let his half brother know about the potential situation and warn the wimpy wolf as well. Great, two people Inu Yasha just _loved_ to chat with. The kitsune crossed his arms into his sleeves in a sign that he was finished speaking so Inu Yasha shrugged and turned to leave.

"I'll keep an eye on Shippo don't—…" When the dog demon glanced back at in the direction of the kitsune his words died on lips. The fox had vanished and with him the entire building. Shippo and Inu Yasha were left in the center of a forested clearing with no indication that anything had ever stood there to begin with. He let another colorful curse slip past his lips before turning his golden stare back to the boy.

"Ready to head back home?" He asked.

The boy blushed slightly. He'd never really considered any place home since his mother died. Yet Inu Yasha said it so casually it seemed that he should have realized how obvious it was.

"Y-yeah, let's go home… and Inu Yasha?"

"What is it?"

"Sorry about setting that trap earlier…"

"_You_ set that?" The hanyou was in the face of the kitsune in a heartbeat.

"Uh…" Oh hell, why did he have to go and say that? He had set the trap for Inu Yasha just in case the half demon did manage to discover he and the village boys peeping in on the hot spring; that way they could get a good head start on the demon with enough time to scatter and avoid capture. Shippo had to think fast to salvage the situation if he wanted to return home without a lump on his skull. His fingers drifted to his pockets instinctively, even though he knew they would still be empty. To his surprise he found one last top his teacher had somehow slipped into his pockets. Moments later the hanyou was face flat on the ground as another huge spinning top drilled into his head. The kitsune thanked his master as he made a mad dash towards the village and the safety of Kagome's embrace.


	8. Termite Words

-*-

**Historical notes: Hooray for Google Books! I managed to find a translated Japanese history book from the 1898 World's Columbian Exposition. I'm using it to fill in the historical gaps I'm missing from this time period. I chose a history book written by the Japanese because a lot of the other history books I've been finding from British or American authors from this time period tends to be really…really… racist. I'm not kidding! One British author from a book published in 1901 used the n-word to describe ancient Chinese architectural techniques. Ugh!**

**Anyway, in my timeline I can finally start using some dates. I'm roughly guessing the current chapter's date to be around 1569. The stuff about Nobunaga is historically accurate (read: NOT made up) and started happening around 1568; according to this book. **

**Author's Notes: I'm finally done with my art exhibition. It went… ok, I guess… it was interesting to say the least. I won't talk about it here because I'd fill up a freaking page. If you're interested though, send me a message and I'll tell you all about it. **

**Also, I know it's been a while since I updated and now that the major time-taker is out of the way I should be turning out chapters a little quicker in the near future. **

**HOWEVER: Finals week is this week (December 6****th****-11****th****) for me so I'll be busy then. BTW, it totally sucks to have a final on your birthday. I just have to have my birthday on the very LAST day of finals week and I just HAPPENED to get nailed with a final that day (December 11****th****). Boo, I'd like to be home for my B-day but no-o-o-o! Anyway, on the 12****th**** my fiancé and I are making the long drive from the Deep South back to my hometown near Chicago. My family likes to send me all over the freaking universe when I go home so you can be sure there likely won't be another chapter update until January. But then again, you never know, the car trip is sixteen hours long so there's a good chance I'll get plenty of story writing in. **

**After Christmas break I have just two classes next semester and then I can graduate. It's impossible to find a job out here right now so you can be pretty sure that I'll have tons of time to devote to writing. I won't be insanely busy like I was this semester. **

**Question time! I don't want to give away plot spoilers here but I've got a few directions I could go with some things that are going to happen with the plot in the next few chapters. Some of you reviewers I've noticed are really sharp… I've been playing a few scenarios out in my head for the plot and I'm wondering if any of you lovely readers would possibly be interested in having the plot spoiled a little bit in order to help me out? Like I said, I've got some ideas bouncing around in my head and I can't quite decide which idea would make the most sense logically. I need a few people (more than just one!) who wouldn't mind messaging me a few times about which idea makes the most sense in terms of following canon and logistically. I feel like some of the directions I could go in might be really clever or just plain silly. So yeah, if you don't mind me picking your brain a little then feel free to mention it in a message or review, ok?**

-*-

Kagome was nearly knocked off her feet when Shippo's frame barreled straight into hers. His thin arms wrapped around her middle and his tanned face buried itself in her bosom. Deprived of a chance to think, the circled her arms protectively around the boy's head and drew him close.

Moments later Inu Yasha stomped into view, just in time to see Miroku and Sango rush over to Kagome and Kouga. Kouga raised an eyebrow when he realized the priest no longer wore his Buddhist robes and had grown out his hair into a long ponytail. He wondered for a moment if priests had off-duty days; the wolf was not exactly a religious man. He was not aware that for the past year a human named Oda Nobunaga had been executing any priests found to be eating meat or fornicating. Priests who were caught breaking the rules were executed. Miroku could have cared less about the situation because he and Sango could have defended themselves easily. However, Nobunaga had also ordered that the wives and children of non-celibate priests would also be put to death. Therefore, the couple had decided as a family that the houshi would hide away his robes in the meantime. Additionally, they chose to abstain from bearing any more children while they waited out the storm. Kagome had promised them the religious persecution would not last past ten years.

Kouga would have asked the priest all about it had it not been for Shippo's pitiful cries for help from his beloved miko. The wolf demon noted with irritation how content the boy was to snuggle up to all of Kagome's curves and how blissfully unaware she was of his likely motivation. He did, however find it unendingly hilarious to watch the hanyou attempt to pound Shippo but was invariably blocked by the confused and defensive miko. Well, she was defensive, until Inu Yasha related the story of the trap and Kagome astutely recognized its proximity to her bathing spot.

The wolf demon and the dog demon instantly zeroed in on the naughty kitsune who began babbling incoherently about it all being a big mistake and how he was being framed.

Inu Yasha cracked his knuckles menacingly, "Oi, fox, were you peeping at _my_ woman?"

Unable to resist a snarky comeback the boy replied, "Well, technically, I was peeping at the ladies and, uh, your lady just happened to be there."

Kouga decided to chime in just then, "No you weren't. When I came through Kagome was there alone."

"BOTH OF YOU WERE PEEPING ON_ MY WOMAN_!" The dog demon howled; then completely forgot about Shippo to rail on Kouga. "Oi, wimpy wolf, I hope you dug your grave before you got here because I'm sending your ass to hell!"

At that point the wolf lost the remaining vestiges of his temper, "Like hell I'll let your scrawny hanyou ass kill me!"

Several things happened at once. Miroku burst into laugher, unable to contain his mirth any longer over the whole situation. Inu Yasha leapt at Kouga but slammed into the dirt when Kagome sat him. Kouga sailed over the prone from of the dog demon when he put too much swing a punch meant for Inu Yasha's face and the momentum carried him into the dirt right next to him. The two men grumbled and cursed at each other for several minutes while Shippo joined the houshi in laughing at them.

The miko stifled a grin before she adopted a more serious look. She half-squatted down to Shippo's eye level which she idly noted was not nearly as far as it had been six years ago. She knew Inu Yasha's hearing was legendary which was why she and the kitsune had created their own form of simple sign language to communicate various things the other knew would only set the irritable hanyou off again. She placed her to fingers over her eyes and then turned her wrist and pointed them back at Shippo. It was the move she always used first to indicate that he was in trouble and needed to pay attention. The boy's giggles faded slightly as he got the message but continued none-the-less. However, he did nod to let her know she had his attention. Kagome shook her finger at him in the classic "shame on you" gesture and then pointed her thumb behind her back. The boy's cheeks grew a little pink from embarrassment and he shrugged his shoulders in apology. When he noticed her indication that he ought to make himself scarce he bobbed his ginger head in acknowledgement and jogged off towards the safety of town.

A few years ago Inu Yasha had bopped Shippo on the head in front of several of his impressionable friends. The next day Kaede and Kagome had been inundated with complaints from the villagers about the bad behavior which had infected all the children who ran about bopping each other in the head for a good week. The miko had issued an ultimatum to the two that they were not allowed to roughhouse around the village children or else she would sit Inu Yasha and Kaede would create another set of subjugation beads for Shippo. The threat was a great deterrent for the hanyou but also made the village a great haven for the rambunctious kitsune. As long as it was daylight and the villagers were still out and about he could pester Inu Yasha to his heart's content. When he blew his top the boy would simply make a run for the safety of the village before he could be thoroughly brained.

Kouga was the first to get up from the ground and the absence of Shippo coupled with Inu Yasha's inability to stand yet had lightened his mood considerably. He eyed the dog demon before giving his side a quick poke with one of his feet.

"You gonna lay around there all day?" He coughed as a small bit of dirt discharged from his lungs, "So tell me what's going on with the kitsune already. I need to return to my pack, they're useless without me."

Having finally been released from the subjugation spell, Inu Yasha pulled his knees under his stomach and pushed up with his palms until he was back in a squat position. He took a moment to brush off his knees a little, if only just to irritate the wimpy wolf a few seconds, the man did have to wait on his words, after all. Begrudgingly, he related everything he had been told on their encounter. Eventually during the course of their conversation Sango was called away by her ten-year-old twin daughters to fix dinner. One of them held the hand of a young boy who appeared to be about six years old while the other carried her three-year-old baby sister in her arms.

Kouga could not help but remark, "My you two have started quite the pack, haven't you?"

Sango blushed and Miroku gave a lecherous grin before he waved his wife and children away. The huntress hesitated from leaving until the houshi promised her she would know all the details the minute he got home.

When Kagome did not leave to take care of her own children the wolf demon had to ask, "So where're your little brats, eh, dog-shit?"

Inu Yasha's gold eyes narrowed sharply, "Why do you care?"

Before the wolf demon could respond Kagome broke in, "W-we're waiting for a safer era."

"What the hell does that mean?"

The miko's husband quickly rescued her with his flippant reply, "It's that miko hocus-pocus shit, when the gods tell her it's safe then we will."

"Sounds like a shitty plan but, hell, she hasn't been wrong before." Kouga grumped.

In reality they had been trying to have a child, though they had not been particularly serious about it. Kagome sensed that her husband was reluctant to bring a child into a world that had been hard on his kind and she understood that so she never pushed the subject. Additionally, she knew historically that the end of the Warring States Period was close at hand which would lead to yet another messy war-torn period until the relative peace of the Edo Period.

For a normal person waiting so long would have been ridiculous but in her case she had plenty of time. A year ago she had come to the realization that she had not aged a day since she had married Inu Yasha and subsequently marked. It had happened one day when she and Sango had decided to bathe together at the local hot spring. Sango remarked at how little the miko had changed in the past few years and then complained about how big her breasts had become recently. They had not really gotten that much bigger, a cup size at most by the looks of things, but girls had a habit of knowing when their bodies changed in the slightest and the demon slayer was no exception. Kagome had laughed but the thought struck her as odd, especially when she considered that some of the locals still mistook her for fifteen. Later on that night she had asked Inu Yasha if he thought she had changed at all and the dog-demon snorted and told her that that was impossible. In fact, the last time Sesshoumaru had met with him, the great demon Lord happened to mention to his half brother that she would never age because of the demonic blood the hanyou had given her. Granted, he was quick to point out that her aging would resume as it normally would every six years or so if he failed to re-mark her. His mixed-breed blood would not remain in a human's blood stream for a full decade like a pure demon. As long as Inu Yasha kept periodically marking her she was nigh-immortal. So, for now, Kagome was content with the way things were and she could wait to be blessed with a child.

Regardless, the wolf demon had accepted their answer and they could tell that he was preparing to leave when Inu Yasha caught a look from his wife. For a second he shook his head, knowing exactly what she wanted him to do, eventually, though, he gave in.

"Look, wolf, it's about time to have dinner and you're welcome to stay…" He did not hide the reluctance of his words which made his wife scowl a little at him. The look immediately irritated him to the point where he quickly added "…not that I care, my woman's just too damn soft."

Kouga smirked but shook his head, "She's got you trained, eh dog-shit?" He offered the miko a genuine smile and nodded his head towards her before continuing, "I'll have to take you up on that another time…preferably without the extra _baggage_." He cocked his head in Inu Yasha's direction as if his status as husband was more of a nuisance than anything.

"What the hell does that mean…?" the offended hanyou ground out, having somehow missed the point.

"I don't have time to spell it out for you, dip shit. I've gotta get back to my pack and let them know about this… disease. Whatever the hell it is. When everything's settled we'll have ourselves a little date, all right, Kagome?"

Confusion scrunched up her pretty features, completely thrown by the request, "…what?"

"Damn it, Kouga!" the hanyou snarled as he took off after the already-fleeing figure of the wolf demon.

Kagome could see the man wave one more time before he vanished into the forest. She called out to her husband before he could reach the tree line, halting his pursuit. He uttered a colorful string of curses and he stormed back to the miko to shake a claw at her.

"Y-you are _not_ going on a date with that-that damned wimpy wolf!" He announced; his golden eyes smoldered orange in the light of the setting sun.

She gave him a look that instantly told him that he ought to know better and wove her arms across her chest petulantly. "Did I _say_ that I was going to do that?"

That took a lot of the air out of his ballooning rage, "I—well—no…but…"

Kagome huffed indignantly and began to stalk back towards their home, "Well, I'm not telling you my answer because you're my _husband_ and you should already _know_ what it's going to be!"

Miroku shook his head and followed the miko while her hanyou continued to hound her.

-*-

Sesshoumaru appeared in the village exactly a day after Kouga had left. Inu Yasha instinctively knew that his half brother had shown up too conveniently for it to have been a coincidence. It could only mean that he too had become aware of the kitsune situation and would likely want to speak with him directly.

His suspicion was quickly confirmed a few hours later when Sesshoumaru found him alone near his home. Something in his features made the hanyou raise an eyebrow. The look on his face was unfamiliar and he could tell that his brother with trying hard to maintain his usual bored expression.

The Great Lord quickly launched into discussion, "This Sesshoumaru has heard about the kitsune situation and has heard rumors that you spoke with one of their representatives."

"Yeah I did…" He replied; his arms crossed over his chest irritably as he recalled the extremely unpleasant encounter with the wolf youkai.

"Is there any information of consequence for this one?" One of the demon's perfectly manicured eyebrows twitched slightly, almost imperceptibly; a sign that indicated his brother was slightly more concerned about the situation than on their last meeting.

Inu Yasha told him everything that he could possibly remember until Sesshoumaru gave a dismissive nod of his head to let him know that he had all the information that he needed. The powerful demon was quiet for several minutes that normally would have irritated the hell out of his half brother were the situation not so grim. Instead, the normally impulsive hanyou waited with relative patience… but not before he noted the way Sesshoumaru's eyes flicked in the direction of Rin and Kaede's hut at least twice in that time.

He had to resist the urge to smirk. Rin was seventeen now and had grown up into a lovely young woman and he was fairly certain his half sibling had taken somewhat reluctant notice. It was hard to say for certain, but some things spoke volumes. The usual conversations between Jaken on Rin had begun to involve questions concerning the girl's "mental well-being." The imp had begun to inquire about the number of village boys currently "threatening Lady Rin's positive mood." What Sesshoumaru really seemed to be asking, through Jaken, was how much attention she was getting from the boys… and if she appeared to be interested? It was terribly amusing.

Over the years Rin had blossomed from the cute but plain little girl she once was into a tall and slender young seventeen year old woman. It had been only a matter of time before the girl began to develop a crush on her personality-deficient benefactor. The hanyou had no clue what she saw in the pompous fur ball but Kagome insisted that the girl was in love and he was not about to argue with his wife over it.

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat, though he appeared to be talking to himself initially, "… If that is the way this world is going to behave, then this one has little choice…"

"Eh? What the hell do you mean?" Inu Yasha grunted.

His half brother did not respond; the thoughtfully-bored expression he had held turned into total boredom, though his amber eyes again flicked back towards the village. The wind shifted and both demons stood up a little bit straighter as two scents assailed them; that of Rin and Kagome.

Rin's infuriated voice rung out, "Don't you _dare_ leave without me Lord Sesshoumaru!"

Confusion flitted across the pretty-boy's features just long enough for Inu Yasha to catch it. Kagome and Rin gradually came into view; the former looked flustered while the latter lugged a gigantic satchel over her shoulder. Jaken waddled some distance behind either of them wheezing from the exertion of shadowing the two women.

The teen was clothed in a simple red and white cotton yukata; obviously prepared for travel, "You said when I was old enough that I could choose where I wanted to be. Well, I want…" She hesitated for a second, her cheeks turned a faint shade of pink before she quickly corrected, "… I am going with you."

Sesshoumaru turned a cold stare on his half brother.

He waved his claws and shook his head, "Don't look at me. I didn't have anything to do with this."

"This Sesshoumaru said no such—…"

"You told me today that I was all grown up now. If I'm grown up then I'm old enough to make my choice and I've made it. I'm coming with you." Rin interrupted audaciously.

Inu Yasha smirked when he smelled the fear oozing off of Jaken. Rin was the only being, next to the hanyou, capable of cutting off the Lord of the Western Lands without also losing their heads. Rin had interrupted Sesshoumaru only a handful of times but every time was so shocking to the youkai leader that it always left him speechless; which was hilariously funny to him.

The little green imp found his voice just then and stormed over to the girl's knee. He shook his staff at her while he chastised, "You—you…have you no manners for the master? Lord Sesshoumaru did not summon you, therefore you shall not insist yourself upon him!"

The raven-haired fury squared her shoulders, set her feet apart, and stared down at Jaken with the best Kagome expression she could muster. "I'm having a conversation with Lord Sesshoumaru, not you, so it's none of your business!"

Jaken turned positively purple with indignant rage. He was so thoroughly upset at Rin's perceived outrageous behavior that he choked on his own words. Kagome's hand fluttered over her mouth to protect it from releasing the giggle that threatened to slip out. Inu Yasha gave a snort, and then coughed hard to hide the bark of laugher that tickled his throat. For a moment the golden eyes of the full-blooded youkai flashed red. He turned his crimson stare on Rin, saying nothing. She locked eyes with him and refused to release it. Kagome watched the exchange with trepidation and sent a look Inu Yasha's way however she found that her husband was actually grinning. What the miko did not know was that he could smell that Rin was not the least bit frightened. Eventually, the girl blinked first because her eyes grew dry. As soon as she did she quickly refocused her gaze back onto her Lord.

Sesshoumaru raised his eyebrows and the edges of his lips twitched in what could have possibly been a proud smile had he allowed it to form. He would not. Instead, the great youkai Lord turned on his heel and stalked towards the forest.

"Hmph, this Sesshoumaru has seen what this village does to one's manners. It would be wasteful to keep her in such care any longer." He nodded to Jaken to retrieve her satchel, leaving the unspoken invitation for Rin to follow. The young woman emitted a happy little squeak, shuffled over to Kagome who gave her a quick hug, and then hustled off after her Lord.

The last thing they heard was Sesshoumaru commenting that Rin would need nicer clothing and a good deal of etiquette lessons so that she might not thoroughly embarrass her Lord.

Kagome stood beside her husband and clasped her hands behind her back as a she became thoughtful, "Does this mean Sesshoumaru is going to…well... bring her with when he speaks with other youkai? Rin complained that she always had to wait somewhere while he negotiated with other demon lords."

Inu Yasha scratched the back of his head, "How the hell should I know?"

"Good point." She muttered.

"I think he was gonna take her anyway." The hanyou spoke up abruptly, "Jaken kept saying that if he thought the village wasn't safe anymore then he would have to find other accommodations." He adopted a high, nasally voice similar to the imp's for effect.

Kagome sighed, "So then, does that mean this place won't be safe? Does Sesshoumaru think there's going to be an attack here?"

He shrugged, "I don't know but I get the feeling he was just looking for an excuse to get her away."

"Yeah, his head might explode if he ever told her flat out that he missed her." She was rewarded with a snort of laughter from the half demon.

Suddenly, his mood became more somber, "It doesn't really matter what reason he has for taking her, we should still be more careful…"

A week later his words would come back to haunt him.


	9. The Messengers

**-*-**

**Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday the nice reviews were a great present **

**A huge thank you goes out to Raian who helped me clear some of the clutter out of my brain by listening to my ideas and even inspired a few new ideas, too. **

**Historical background: This chapter is still in 1569.**

**Ritual Notes: The wetting of the lips is a ritual performed on the dead immediately following death. I'm not sure if this ritual is performed by a priest or not. I would have had Miroku do it but I can't remember if monks are allowed to touch dead bodies like that. It might be considered impure. Not sure though, if anyone knows, please message me! **

**Author's Note/Question: I'm not a big fan of writing Sesshoumaru stuff. I'm a little… er… ghetto… high society-types like Sesshoumaru are hard things to write. However, I think it'd be silly leaving Rin and Sesshoumaru's escapades out of the story. Everyone would want to know what's going on with them while Inu Yasha and the gang are out and about. So, if anyone is interested in writing an off-shoot about Rin and Sesshoumaru's time together during this fiction then shoot me a message/e-mail… otherwise I'll put off writing their part of the story forever, no joke. I can give any interested party more details once I know who might be willing to contribute. **

**-*-**

Inu Yasha should have known things would go to hell when two bloodied humans stumbled in to town a week after his brother had run off with his Rin. Several villagers tended the outer rice fields had discovered them. Three of them carried one of the men between them, apparently so critically injured that he could not walk. From a distance Inu Yasha could not visually make out how terrible his injuries were but the scent of his blood was so strong there was little question he was mortally wounded. One other villager followed up behind the small group. The man had fared somewhat better than the first in a sense that he could actually walk with the help of the villager's shoulder as a brace. The hanyou could not scent out the other man's injuries because the smell of blood from the first was so overly abundant.

The dog demon's ears twitched at the sound of Kagome and Kaede's rapidly approaching footsteps. The two made a beeline for the one so clearly worse off than the other. Inu Yasha approached cautiously behind them, the smell of fresh human blood made his demonic blood sing while his humanity cringed in empathy.

His wife had carried with her a bag of medicines and bandages. One of the village children who had been helping his father tend the fields had been sent out ahead to alert the two miko. However, the way her eyebrows arched and her eyes widened told her husband she had not brought nearly enough bandages. Inu Yasha closed the remaining distance between the gathering crowds.

He leaned in just enough to whisper to his wife. "Bind him just enough to make him comfortable but save your bandages for the other. He's not going to make it."

Kagome wanted to argue but one look at the damage—most of it to the man's lower torso—told her that he was exactly right. It looked as though the man had been slashed across the abdomen some time ago and had somehow managed to bind his innards enough to keep them from spilling out. How the man had been able to walk was a mystery to her as the pain must have been excruciating. Regardless, his body never would have recovered from such a wound, something of great importance must have forced him to come so far in such pain rather than die in relative comfort.

Inu Yasha pushed closer to the man and called out, "What happened to you? Who attacked you? Where are you from?"

The man was somewhat delirious and shivering from a chill that only came from blood loss but somehow he managed to gurgle out the name of a village Kaede quickly identified as small farming town a few day's walk to the west of Edo. Kagome grasped his hand gently and repeated Inu Yasha's questions.

He smiled blearily up at her and relaxed at the sound of her voice. "Mina, you got here safely? That is good to know… Stay in Edo… don't go back… don't go back…home… the demons are…"

For a second his eyes regained their focus and locked on the hanyou hovering behind what he believed to be his beloved Mina. The man's eyes grew wide and his voice died on his lips. At such close proximity it was impossible, even with all the blood, to miss the scent of fear that suddenly permeated the air around the dying man. Suddenly, he began to scream, pointing at the half demon even as he struggled to get away. He shrieked that the demons had come for his Mina and that she should run. His irrationally-fueled movements further aggravated his terrible condition while the villagers tried desperately to keep him still. Then, just as suddenly, his eyes rolled up into his head and he went limp. Shock had set in. Moments later Inu Yasha murmured that the man was dead.

"So this man's village was under attack by a demon…?" Kaede wondered aloud.

She had no time to think further upon it because the second injured man had finally managed to make his way to the two priestesses. The villager who had assisted him thus far gently set the man down on a bench so that the women could attend to him. As soon as they did the villager, a man named Hayato, made a bee-line for the hanyou who hovered near by the dead body of the first man.

As quietly as he could Hayato whispered, "This other guy's been saying that his village was attacked by those feral demons. He's scared…keeps babbling that there're demons around every corner… his mind doesn't seem quite right…"

Inu Yasha quickly interpreted the message, "He's spooked? Right, I'll hang back behind that house over there. I'm not straying any farther away than that." He warned and shrugged a shoulder in the direction of a small hut a few hundred yards away.

The villager nodded and released a relieved sigh. He had been concerned that the other man might hurt himself if he was scared by the sight of a demon. Judging from the screams of the first dead man and the rants from the second one it was a wise move not to chance a secondary confrontation.

Hayato watched the half demon disappear behind one of the huts and then hurried his way back over to Kagome and Kaede. Kagome had just finished carefully stitching up the wound on the man's side. Kaede was almost finished with another gash on his left shoulder. The two agreed that the most worrying injury, the one to his side, was deep but had somehow managed to evade vital organs as far as they could tell. They would have to wait to see if he would live or if infection would seize him.

Kagome knelt down in front of the shivering man and gently took his hand as she had the first, "Would you us what your name is?"

Hayato had brought the man some water on the way back and handed it to him. He had already ordered his wife to prepare a meal as well. The injured man took the earthenware mug in both shaky hands and raised it to his parched lips. He took several long gulps and winced each time when his stomach muscles near the wound contracted.

After a long time he was finally sated and spoke, "My family name is Saburo. Saburo Ken."

"Thou art safe now master Saburo, we have a great many warriors here." Kaede began politely, not quite sure what social status he hailed from, "Would ye tell us where ye are from and what happened? Our warriors may be willing to assist."

He glanced around for a few minutes before he spotted the dead man several feet away. Some of the women tended to him and when he saw one of them moisten his lips with water he knew his traveling companion was dead. They would not have performed the Buddhist ritual otherwise. He heaved a shaky sigh and stared down at his nearly empty mug. He decided then that his companion's story should come first.

"His name… That man's name over there… It's Shin. I-I don't know his family name." He swallowed hard before he continued, "He told me his village was under attack. I met him on the way here. My village is to the northwest… I knew he wasn't going to make it but he said that there were warriors in Edo who could save everyone."

"His village was under attack? The village ye hail from; is it also under attack?" Kaede queried.

Ken nodded to his mug, unable to meet the elderly woman's gaze. "I should have stayed with my family. I should have defended them. But the elder told me to send for help—kind of like Shin. His patrol leader sent him for help…" He suddenly locked eyes with Kaede. "I should have stayed. I could have helped. It all happened so fast. There were youkai everywhere. They came through the forest like a tidal wave and tore apart any man on sight…but—the women, oh gods, the women!"

Kagome squeezed his hand to bring him back into focus, "What about the women, what happened to the women?" She urged.

"They took them… women, some girls, but mostly women. Those that escaped are hiding in the shrine—but they're trapped. We thought we could wait them out but they stayed. It's like they're waiting for us to come out. After a few days the food in the shrine started running low and the elder sent out men—most of them just boys—out into the village. He sent them out to distract them while a few of us ran for help. There were three of us… the demons got Shou and Ryuu… but I kept running. I got hit. I kept running anyway."

"Ye were bleeding, why did the demons stop pursuing thou?" Kaede wondered aloud. Once the scent of blood was in the air demons were nigh-unstoppable. They should not have let him get away or if they did they ought to have stalked him down before the day was done. It made little sense.

He stared at the elderly miko, "I-I don't know. They should have come for me, shouldn't they? I remember their howls. It seemed like they were breathing down my neck. I don't know… I ran for so long until I realized they weren't howling anymore." He paused to catch his breath before he continued, "I found Shin in bad shape on the way there. I helped patch him up a little. He told me about Edo. He told me the same thing was happening in his village. Please, you've got to go there! There are people waiting for help!"

Eventually he related what little he knew of Shin's story. The man had been part of a group of hunters hired to protect his village from the random feral youkai attacks. Shin had lived among them for several years, eventually marrying a local woman named Mina. One day they had returned from a patrol only to find their town devastated and demons grabbing up any women they could find. His leader quickly mounted an attack while half of the hunting party rounded up the villagers and led them to the safety of the local shrine.

The hunting party was able to thin the ranks of the attacking youkai considerably but not without heavy casualties. Eventually it became clear to Shin's leader that they needed to send for help. They led one last offensive which allowed a few men to escape into the woods. All were hunted down; including Shin, but at the last minute when he was wounded his leader had appeared out of nowhere and with his last breath had fought the demons off long enough for Shin to get away. The man was desperate and he quickly explained to them how to get to his village. He emphasized over and over again that there was little time.

By the time Ken had finished speaking Miroku and Sango had been summoned and were quickly filled in on anything they had missed. Ken had no further information to give and was taken away to Kaede's hut to recuperate. Once the messenger was gone Inu Yasha returned to the group. His sharp hearing had picked up everything. He could already hear Kagome formulating a strategy with Sango and Miroku.

"…I don't think we have many options here." She worried.

"It seems apparent that we will have to split up." The monk replied.

"I don't like the sound of that" Sango grumbled.

"Neither do I but what choice do we have? Inu Yasha, what do you think?" The young miko turned to her approaching husband.

"Feh, I agree with Sango on one thing. I don't like how it sounds, but I don't see how else we'll get to the villages in time."

"Shrines don't stock much food." Miroku added, "If we don't split up and clear these places out those villagers are likely to starve."

Everyone became quiet for a moment. Lost in thought until Kaede appeared again this time though, a familiar face accompanied her.

"Kohaku!" Sango cried as she ran to embrace her younger brother. "What are you doing here?"

Kohaku had grown quite a bit over the years since last they had seen him. He was a tall, slender man barely pushing his twenties. He had not grown quite as tall as Miroku but was certainly a few inches taller than his sister. His boyish features had been replaced by more angular traits that mirrored his late father. Kohaku wore a newer, larger version of his hunters' armor in the same colors he had worn previously. However, some things did not change; Sango's brother still sported the exact same hair style he had once worn as a boy, even the length of his hair remained exactly the same as it had then.

The young man gave his sister a gentle hug. "I… sensed something wrong in the forest… so I came here because I figured you might know."

Kohaku had inherited a special ability when Kikyo had passed away. He could detect strong changes in the energy surrounding natural areas. He could sense an approaching earthquake a day before it happened or locate the starting point of a forest fire days after it happened. He could even sense impending lightning storms. The man had never been quite sure if the ability was an after effect of the shard implanted in his neck or from the small part of Kikyo that had saved his life when it was removed. Whatever had caused the gift had made his ability somewhat broad. He knew if something dangerous was coming but could not identify specifically what the approaching danger was. All Kohaku could do was follow the impression the sense left in his mind to the source and try to determine the reason when he arrived.

He gave a polite nod to Miroku before he turned to Kagome, his face serious. "Lady Kaede has brought me up to speed on the situation. I would like to go with you to one of the villages."

Sango opened her mouth to speak but Kaede intercepted her, "Ye shall accompany Miroku to one of the villages. Inu Yasha and Kagome should always be together so they shall go to the other village."

"What about me?" The huntress clutched the edge of Kohaku's armor as if she might be torn from it.

"Ye shall stay here. We need a strong warrior to protect the village. Ye have children to care for as well, have ye forgotten?" Kaede gently chided.

For a moment Miroku could see the inner battle forged in his wife's eyes until clarity took over. Her gaze shifted down to the ground; her fingers released her brother's armor and she quietly took a step away from him. She took a second to compose herself and then returned to her husband's side. She gave his hand a small squeeze and smiled up at him. He returned her smile. The young priestess could barely fathom how they could repress the urge to grab one another in a tight embrace. She would have thrown proper public etiquette to the wind about then were she in the same situation. However, it was how they were raised and she knew it but it never changed how much it pulled on her heart to see such restraint.

"Be careful." The huntress whispered.

The priest put on his boldest smile, "Of course."

"Let's get going. Miroku, Kohaku, head for the village to the west." Inu Yasha's strong voice broke in. He could smell Kirara nearby. That meant it was time to go.

Kagome wondered briefly why he had chosen the town; normally it did not matter to him where they gang went; he simply went where he was told. Then it hit her. The western village was closer to Edo; should anything go wrong Miroku and Kohaku would be the first to return home. Not only that, but the hanyou could rely on his own super-human speed to get them home in a hurry. It was only sensible that they venture further out. Once again, she was impressed by how much her husband knew and how little he let on that he knew it.

Inu Yasha squatted to allow Kagome onto his back while Kirara transformed and Kohaku and Miroku clambered onto her back. They all waved at the two remaining women before taking off in their respective directions towards the beleaguered villages.

As Kaede and Sango prepared to leave Shippo trudged up to them, yawning, "Where is everyone?"

The women looked at each other and shook their heads.

-*-

It had taken Ken two days to walk to Edo. For Kagome and her hanyou companion it took half that time. In the wee hours of the morning Kagome was roused from her sleep where she had been snuggled up against her husband's back when he abruptly stopped moving.

"You awake?" Inu Yasha asked and when she said yes he allowed her down to the ground.

They were on the outskirts of Ken's village. The hanyou coughed, made a face, and then spit into the ground. The town reeked of decaying flesh. From a distance he could make out the forms of bloated corpses. As they cautiously approached it became apparent that they had not been moved. To the demon it was a bad sign.

"This isn't good, Kagome…" He grumbled, as he raised the sleeve of his haori to his sensitive nose to cover it.

"It's so quiet here… have the demons gone?" Kagome asked, wondering if he might know.

"I don't know." He admitted, "By the looks of things these bodies haven't been moved. It could mean that the villagers are still in hiding or…" He hated to say it, but his wife needed to be prepared for the worst "…there's no one left to bury their dead."

His wife didn't respond. Kagome's less sensitive human nose finally began to pick up the scent of death. She quickly produced a cloth from one of her sleeves and tied it around her nose and mouth to lessen the smell. Once she did she offered another one to her husband, who gratefully accepted though he had been suffering for some time already.

Inu Yasha kept one hand on his sword hit as he approached and examined the closest body. The body was that of a middle-aged man who was barely recognizable from both the physical decay and the deep lacerations covering him. It was clear that a demon had torn him up.

"Why the hell is he still here?" He mumbled to himself.

"Who's here?" His wife replied. She stared at the remains for a few moments before she chanted a quick prayer for the deceased.

"No, I mean, this guy's been shredded by a demon… but not eaten. This guy shouldn't even _be here_. None of these bodies should be here."

Kagome followed the direction of his eyes and she spotted a dozen more bodies along the main road through the town. They had been left similarly abandoned which was odd. A demon should have run off with the dead to gobble them up in the privacy of their den. To leave such a, for lack of a better word: feast, was unthinkable.

"I don't even see carrion birds." She said and wondered why that bothered her just as much as the carnage?

"I don't like this. Let's hurry and get to the shrine." Inu Yasha suppressed a shudder and led his wife in the direction Ken had described.

They quickly found the shrine…or what was left of it. Kagome could hear the hanyou curse under his breath as they surveyed the remains of the ruined building. It was in pieces, the heavy timber lay scattered about as if it had been shaken to bits in a child's hand like a fragile toy. Inu Yasha was not sure if he should be relieved that he could not scent any blood or decomposition inside the building… or if he should be concerned. If there had been people inside the shrine then they had left, killed, or taken before it was destroyed. Kagome had begun to poke through the rubble when the half demon shook his head.

"Nobody's in there. No blood, no nothing."

"Gods, did someone take them?" She placed her hand over her heart as if it would help ease the twisting pain within it.

"Some demons are picky… they prefer to eat a certain gender or age… but those kind are few. They shouldn't be operating in two places at once… but some of these marks on the other bodies. It looks like more than one youkai attacked here. The youkai only swarmed like that around…" He felt the name catch in his throat.

Kagome finished his sentence, "…Naraku." The possibility of Naraku still in existence somewhere made her skin crawl. "But that can't be right. When swarms attacked like that they didn't take any hostages. They just demolished everything in sight."

Inu Yasha had to agree with her. "You're right. Something else was going on here…"

His wife sighed and shook her head as she began to roll up her sleeves. "Well, whatever happened here there's no way to tell now. I need to purify these bodies and ready them for cremation. We can't just leave them out here like this."

For the next several hours the hanyou and the miko went through the grueling process of cleaning up the dead. By late afternoon they were able to begin cremating the bodies. It took them until nightfall to pick through the bones and place them into various containers they took from the empty village huts. Kagome insisted, since they did not know the names of any of the deceased, that they write a loose description of each person and where they had found them on the urns. The hanyou had tried to convince her of the futility of such things but his wife was adamant that they do so, just in case the women somehow managed to return or some other family traveled to the village. He complained in a gentler tone that she was too kind, even to the dead.

It was nightfall by the time everything had been completed. They left the urns in the town's cemetery. Neither felt like sleeping in the empty village so Inu Yasha sniffed out a safe camp site near a hot spring. Even though he was exhausted, the hanyou watched over his wife in a nearby tree while she bathed first. Eventually, she invited him to join. At first he objected… until she warned him that she would sit him and would not sleep with him smelling as he did. No further arguments had to be made.

-*-

The next morning went by slowly for the couple. No amount of distance seemed to entirely eliminate the memory of the terrible odor of rotting corpses, burning pyres, or the vision of the dead villagers. Just before the sun reached its apex signaling the afternoon hours Inu Yasha slowed his lope through the forest. He stood still to sniff the air while he continued to ignore his wife's questions. Then his eyes narrowed and he suddenly burst into a sprint while the surprised miko clung to his back.

"Inu Yasha, what on earth is going on?" She hollered as the rushing wind seemed to rip the words right out of her mouth.

The dog demon heard her regardless, "Its Shippo's scent… what the hell is he doing out here?"

The uneasy feeling that had bubbled in her stomach since the two injured villagers arrived in Edo seemed to flip-flop at the mention of the kitsune. Shippo would never venture too far away from the village whenever Inu Yasha, Kagome, and Miroku happened to be out. It had been quietly assumed that both he and Sango kept watch over their home whenever they were away. For the boy to be out so far could not be good.

Inu Yasha entered a small clearing and stopped again. Seconds later the ginger-haired boy came tearing into the clearing. At the moment he would have smashed headlong into them the hanyou's claws shot out and expertly caught his shoulders. Shippo jerked to a stop and stared up into the half demon's golden eyes. He panted heavily from the exertion of having run for miles without a break.

Before the half demon could even ask Shippo began chattering between choked breaths, "Inu…Yasha… Edo… attacked. Got to… M-Miroku…S-s…"

The boy collapsed to the ground unconscious.


	10. Silent Village

**I'm back again and ready to work. I will try as hard as I can to make sure I turn out chapters in a timely manner. If all things go according to plan (cross your fingers, guys) then I should be done with college this semester. I have two classes. One of them is my worst subject ever (math) and the other is another art class. The lady who teaches my art class is a bit of a slave driver so I can't promise you guys that I won't be terribly busy. So far I've had a lot of lovely free time to work but I don't know if it'll last. **

**Anyway, special thanks go out to Raian and Jessie Angel for all of their wonderful help and insight. Jessie accidentally gave me the epiphany I desperately needed over a plot issue I had been struggling with for some time. Thanks guys!**

**I've also begun work on a silly idea I had bouncing around in my brain for some time for Kaze no Stigma. I started writing with the intent to make a one-shot… and then it blew up into another epic adventure of Green Bunny proportions. I'm not going to post any of that story until it's complete. The reason for that is because it was strictly written on a lark and I don't want it to compete with my work on BTT. **

**Random Question: Uh… does anyone recall if I gave Sango's twins names? Did Rumiko Takahashi ever mention their names yet? If I did give them names can someone remind me what they were? I've totally forgotten. I feel silly for asking... **

-*-

Shippo's name came out in a surprised gasp from Kagome's lips as the boy crumpled. As she said it she rushed over to the boy and gathered him up in her arms. Her hands gently brushed through his hair to push back the ginger strands from his face so she could get a better look at him. However, they immediately came back when her digits encountered a warm, sticky fluid.

"Oh, gods, he's bleeding!" She cried out.

Inu Yasha squatted down next to the boy and used his nose to scent out the location of the cut. It was not long before he discovered a gash near the top of his head. Mercifully, the cut appeared to have been a glancing blow. The wound was mild, and were he to guess, the hanyou suspected Shippo had passed out from extreme fatigue rather than injury. What concerned him worse were the patches of blood covering his shirt. It reeked of human blood.

Kagome had wrapped the fox demon's head in gauze before Inu Yasha had time to tell her it was pointless. Demon or not, advanced healing or not, the miko was dead set on wrapping up any wound she laid eyes upon. It never mattered to her how he felt about it. When his wife began to peel off the layers Shippo's hakama to check for more injuries the dog demon emitted a short, embarrassed grunt.

"Feh, there's no reason to strip him, wench. The fox is fine. That ain't his blood on his clothes. It's human." When her horrified expression met his gaze he elaborated, "It doesn't smell like Miroku or Sango, but it's not good. We need to--…"

"--Uh, where… where's Sango?" Shippo croaked, peering up into Kagome's face.

Kagome shook her head and stroked the side of the boy's cheek, "Shippo, don't you remember? You came here to find us. Sango's back in Edo."

Shippo stared at the miko for a few moments in apparent confusion, then seemed to find his wits and tried to sit up. Inu Yasha was there to nudge him back down onto Kagome's lap. He also pushed a small ceramic container of water into his wife's hands which she brought to the kitsune's lips.

"Drink this first; then tell us what happened. It won't do anyone any good if you can't talk." She murmured as she continued to pet his cheek with her free hand.

The boy drank greedily from the flask until his dry throat no longer burned. When he was finished he pushed the container away but continued to lie in her lap. He could not help but mentally agree with the dog demon that her scent was most comforting in that position. Within the safety of his beloved companions the kitsune was finally ready to relate the situation:

"Two days after you all left the demons from those villages came to Edo. They attacked in a swarm and killed any men that got in their way. A couple of other demons followed behind the attacking demons and took any woman they could lay their claws on. Kaede and Sango fought them with the other men. I fought them, too. But when I saw them taking all the girls I told Kaede that I should use my magic to hide them. They agreed. So, while Kaede and Sango kept the demons occupied I gathered up all the girls I could sniff out and took them to the shrine like Kaede had said. I used my magic to make an extra room in the back of the shrine look like it wasn't there and that's where we hid."

Shippo paused for a moment when Kagome offered him more water. When he was finished he continued. "I held the illusion all day until the sounds of battle died down. Just as I was about to see if everything was okay I heard the demons. They were prowling all around the shrine."

"Did any of them say anything?" Inu Yasha spoke up, though he did not open his eyes, which had been closed while he listened. To one who did not know the dog demon well one might have thought he was insolent, but his friends could tell he was simply concentrating on capturing every word. Kagome learned some time ago that he closed his eyes so he could tune his hearing to an individual while one ear remained cocked to any external danger that might have been lured by the sound of voices. Sight was a distraction when he concentrated so hard on his hearing, so he kept his eyes shut.

Shippo sighed and shook his head, "What they said didn't make much sense. Most of the time it was too garbled to understand… like someone had scrambled their brains… they did say one thing, though. The word 'master' came up again and again. Then they all got quiet. I could hear them, but they all stopped growling; and then I heard someone walking around inside the shrine. I think he was looking for the girls. Gods, it was so hard trying to keep them all quiet. I had to use extra energy to soundproof the illusion because some of them thought it might be their parents. I knew better. The guy didn't smell human. He didn't smell demonic either. It was weird."

"How is that possible? Even if he was hanyou he should have had some sort of scent." The dog demon interrupted.

"I don't know…his scent… he smelled like pine, or maybe cedar, or…" The kitsune boy screwed up his face in frustration, "He smelled of the forest, but not like he'd been running around in it… I don't think I'm explaining this very well."

Kagome gave the boy's hand a gentle squeeze, "It's okay; we can worry about that later. Please, go on."

With a nod, he focused his thoughts back on his ordeal. "I knew it was a man because he spoke to himself. He complained that he had hoped for a bigger catch. I could hear him moving around the shrine; looking for us. One time he was in the room just next to ours… and then he said something strange. He said that sixty years' worth of studies would have to do. That was it. I heard him leave. Then all of a sudden everything started shaking--an earthquake or something--and the shrine folded in the center like it was made of paper. Thankfully, we were on the outer edge of the building. The roof collapsed away from us, but the walls on that side somehow stayed up. The demons left soon after that."

"I waited for a long time, even when I was sure they were gone and their scents were fading. I thought someone would come for us. Someone had to give us the all-clear, right? After a while I let down the barrier and told the girls to stay put while I looked around."

Shippo stopped abruptly. Kagome watched as his lips pressed together into a thin line and his jaw clenched. His jade eyes sparkled with tears he fought to leave unshed. The miko opened her mouth to ask what was wrong but stopped when the boy let out a long, shaky breath and began again.

"I… I found Kaede by the steps to the shrine. She was lying in a pool of blood and all cut up. I couldn't smell it but I thought she had to have been dead. Her eye was open and I went to close it but… she suddenly looked right at me! I tried to patch her up like Kagome but she stopped me. She-She said that I shouldn't waste my bandages on her…" One of Shippo's fangs dug into the corner of his lip until a trickle of blood flowed down his chin.

Inu Yasha had opened his eyes when he had scented the boy's change in mood from fearful to intense sadness. When he smelled the fresh blood he realized the kitsune was struggling to keep his emotions in check. He was not finished yet. Kagome held his hand gently, her thumb stroking its' back comfortingly. Her gentle touch seemed to spur the Shippo to continue.

"I tried to tell her to stop talking and let me help her…but… but… she said I needed to listen to her and that she had important things to tell me. Then she told me that I had to go find Miroku; that a strange being—a man, but not a man—had taken Sango and the twins. Kaede told me to hurry; that every time I spent here made it harder to find her."

Kagome was the next to interrupt, "Why didn't the twins hide with you?"

Shippo quickly replied. "I tried to find them. I found all the rest of their kin but after a while the fighting got so intense that Sango told me that she would find them herself. She said her girls were made of tougher things than the village girls. I needed to defend the helpless."

Inu Yasha muttered something about the stubbornness of women and was met with a withering look from his wife. Shippo could not help but crack a tiny smile at the silent exchange.

He quickly grew serious again. He had to tell them the rest of the story. "I told Kaede the other girls were safe and she smiled and said I did well… and then…" His voice cracked and he choked back a sob, "…and then…she said I needed to hurry and go. She said she would be fine… but I knew, you know? I had to find you guys and I knew she wasn't going to make it. I should have stayed! At least to the end…" At that point, Shippo had begun to fight hard against his tears.

Inu Yasha turned his back to them and spoke softly, "She's right. You did well. If we hurry home there still might be a chance to track Sango. Miroku is already on the way, right?"

The kitsune nodded and reluctantly scooted away from Kagome's lap so that he was up in a sitting position. "He said he was… but he was really upset when I told him. I think he might go after her alone if he finds a way to track the demons."

"Shit, we have to get going then. Shippo, get on my back—don't argue with me about this—you're in no shape to run. Kagome, I'll carry you in my arms."

-*-

Kagome could not tell how much or how little time had past when they arrived in Edo. The town was a mess. Almost every hut in town had some sort of damage caused by searching demons. Several homes on the northern end of town were charred from an apparent fire. Everyone had expected to find the village as deserted but was relieved to discover villagers shuffling about. Most of them were women.

One of the girls, by Kagome's estimation barely ten, spotted the group and began to run towards them, a farming sickle in hand. She was brought to an abrupt halt by Miroku. Kagome silently thanked the Buddha that the monk had not run off, though Kohaku was nowhere in sight.

After a moment of conversation with the girl Miroku waved an all-clear to them. Shippo was already halfway to the monk; he had scrambled out of Inu Yasha's clutches the moment they landed on Edo's home turf. The little girl ran towards him and she locked the kitsune in bear hug the moment they met. Kagome easily deduced that she was one of the children Shippo had helped protect. He spoke with her for a moment and then led him by the hand into town. As Kagome and Inu Yasha caught up to Miroku they could see several more women run towards Shippo. The houshi raised an eyebrow when some offered him tofu or azukimeshi.

"The fox sure is lucky with the ladies today." He muttered.

"So what's the situation? Where's Kohaku?" Inu Yasha asked, ready to cut to the chase.

Miroku frowned. "Edo's a mess, but from what the villagers have told me Sango and Kaede dealt enough damage that they ended up retreating, rather than stick around and capture more women. A lot of men died protecting them, but if Shin's village was any indication of how bad it could have been then I can say they held up well."

Miroku quickly explained what had become of them during that time. In Shin's village the story was much the same as it had been for Inu Yasha and Kagome. Miroku, Kohaku, and Kirara arrived to a ghost town; though their ride took less than a full day. The bodies were scattered about in the same fashion along with a destroyed shrine as its center piece. They used the remaining sunlight to search the woods for evidence of the missing women but found little to work with. The smell of decay had made it impossible for Kirara to scent anything. A rainstorm had happened a day after the youkai attack and had eliminated any demon tracks to follow. As night descended the men had agreed to clean up the village the following morning. It had taken an entire day to take care of all the bodies. Kohaku and Kirara had been tasked with body removal while Miroku performed all of the funerary rites and rituals until nightfall. Shin's village had been slightly larger than the one Kagome and Inu Yasha occupied and because of this they had been forced to continue some of the funerary arrangements the following morning. By mid-afternoon the next day they were finished and with no leads to follow the gang slowly made their trek back to Edo. Halfway through their trip Shippo had discovered them, explained the situation, and they had rushed to get back home. Kohaku had been the one to send Shippo on to find Inu Yasha and Kagome.

When Miroku, Kohaku and Kirara returned to Edo they immediately sought out Kaede. At the time Shippo had just the sense enough to tell them that she had been gravely wounded. They quickly discovered that she had succumbed to her injuries only minutes after Shippo had left. The remaining women had cleaned and moved Kaede's body back to her hut. They could do little more for her after that because they had been too busy readying the rest of the dead for cremation. By that point Miroku had grown reluctant to explain much more, as if it pained him to continue.

"What about Sango?" Kagome's voice softly interjected. "Where is she?"

The monk was silent for a long while before he was able to find the words necessary to go on with the story. She watched as the houshi gripped the handle of his staff so tightly his knuckles went white. Unable to maintain eye contact his dark eyes glared daggers at the ground near his feet.

"…She was taken." Was all he managed to whisper out.

Inu Yasha turned his gaze in his wife's direction. His wife was far better at gently prying information out of a tortured soul than he. She caught his unspoken request and nodded that she understood. Once again, the hanyou was convinced of the power of the miko. In reality she did not read his thoughts at all, she simply knew him so well that she almost always knew where his thoughts were heading.

"Did Kohaku go after her?" She pressed gently.

"I think so. He said he was going to ask the forest for help." He replied.

"Why didn't you go with him?" Inu Yasha's blunt question made his wife wince a little.

Miroku's eyes met the hanyou's golden ones and narrowed. "I tried but he knocked me out cold. When I awoke not one damned villager here could tell me what direction he left in! My wife and two daughters have been kidnapped and the only one who might know something just ran off without me!"

Kagome could tell from then furious glint in the monk's eyes that she needed to calm him down so she quickly asked, "What about your other son and daughter?"

She could tell she asked the right question immediately.

Miroku's fingers relaxed on his staff and his eyes softened as they fixed onto Kagome. "They're safe, thank the gods. I'm sorry for yelling. I just… I feel so helpless."

"Its okay, Miroku, we'll find them." The miko replied. Her eyes turned when she caught sight of her husband shuffling around in the corner of her vision. "What is it, Inu Yasha?"

The dog demon did not respond. Instead, he raised his head to sniff the air a few times and then dropped to the ground and snuffled around near the monk. Exasperated, Kagome called his name.

"I can smell him." Came his gruff reply.

"Smell who?" Miroku and Kagome chorused together.

The hanyou stared at them in surprised disbelief like flowers had suddenly sprouted from the tops of their heads. Then his eyes turned directly on the houshi and narrowed. Suddenly he pounced on the surprised man and clawed at his obi. Kagome's flabbergasted, "Sit!" came out before she even had a chance to think about it which, in turn, caused the dog demon to come crashing down on top of a wholly unprepared Miroku. The three stood (or, in Miroku and Inu Yasha's case, laid) in stunned silence. Some of the villagers came out to stare. Inu Yasha was the first to recover; scrambling off the houshi with a small piece of cloth in hand.

The dog demon raised the cloth triumphantly. "I knew it! This is Kohaku's scent!"

"Kohaku…?" Miroku's dazed voice emanated from the dirt.

"Yes, dumbass, Kohaku's scent is all over this." Inu Yasha drawled in an irritated, yet matter-of-fact tone.

"But, how would I have something of Kohaku's?" The houshi said as he slowly got back up onto his feet, eyeing the dog demon warily.

"Kohaku probably left it with you… in order to help Inu Yasha track him." Kagome responded with a smile.

"He's a smart kid, that's for damn sure." Inu Yasha grunted, "I remembered his scent a little, but I haven't been around him long enough to really know it. Now that I have this I'll be able to find him, no problem."

"You think he left this on me when he knocked me out?" Miroku asked in a quiet voice. He felt more than a little guilty about his initial reaction to his disappearance. Kohaku must have known Miroku would be far more capable among friends, especially with his wife and two of his children missing. Waiting for Inu Yasha had certainly forced him to simmer down significantly.

The hanyou did not answer. He was already headed for the tree line, ready to pick up Kohaku's scent. Kagome hurried to catch up with him while Miroku turned back to the village to let Shippo know where they were going. By the time he had done that the duo had almost given him the slip in the trees, thankfully, the capable monk was able to catch up just in time.

-*-


	11. Missing In Action

**Author's Notes:**

**Sorry for the delay, guys. I truly had not been anticipating this. I have just two classes to complete this semester and then I'll be graduated. Of course, these classes have to be unbelievably difficult. Why should I have an easy semester, eh? The replacement fiber teacher in one class is a slave-driver to the point where I have to work on art pieces every day of the week. On top of that my second class turned out to be extremely tough and requires a LOT of studying. **

**My updates will likely be a little longer in coming and I apologize for that in advance. **

**Fortunately, there's a bit of good news. This chapter turned out to be particularly long so I divided it up into two chapters. I'm not finished with the next chapter but it's already on-going so hopefully I can get it finished up soon. **

-*-

To catch and kill a demon one cultured a strict reliance on the senses. It had been bred into Kohaku at a tender age. Sight revealed the innocuous inconsistencies in a cracked branch or scratched earth which would point the way like a shining beacon to a demon's lair. Sound (or a lack of sound) reverberating through the bamboo trees could identify a demon on the move. The fading warmth from a den bed whispered warnings of a demon not far from its home. The coppery smell of fresh blood could be used as a lure to draw youkai into a trap. Having been raised on such knowledge left Kohaku completely unprepared to rely on the intangible nature of a sixth sense.

Knocking out Miroku had very nearly killed his ability to concentrate on the call of the woods. He had worked quickly to cut away a small section of his dark clothing so that he could tuck it away in the monk's robes for the dog demon to find. Normally, he would not have allowed anyone to track him. It went against everything he knew as a hunter. Then again, things were not so normal this time around. Something had managed to spirit away his nigh-impregnable elder sister!

What was more troubling was that signs of battle pointed towards a short fight. It did not make sense. The women of their clan became fierce forces to reckon with when they had children—and Sango had four. The clan encouraged the women to use their protective mothering instincts to hone them into even better hunters. She should have fought to the death before allowing any of her children to be taken. However, the attack on Edo appeared to have been brief and relatively bloodless. According to the deep, tell-tale gashes on the ground, his sister had fought hard but then suddenly, the activity of her footprints and Hiraikotsu stopped. To Kohaku's keen eye it appeared that she had been plucked right out of the middle of the battle rather suddenly and without much of a fight. That concerned him. Certain kinds of demons left behind those marks. Usually, they had some sort of quick, take-down ability. Like a paralyzing agent or sleeping spell. But then, that was what the masks were for, and he knew Sango would be wearing hers. Something that could snatch her away like that in spite of her considerable training and high-quality equipment was extremely dangerous to say the least. Kohaku knew instinctively that he had to make sure back-up was sure to follow. He could not wait and lose his opportunity to sense out this demon, but he was mature enough at his age to consider that he might be out-matched on his own. That was why he had left the scrap of fabric for Inu Yasha. If he failed alone with no back-up, then he knew his sister and her children were equally as lost.

The hunter had been carefully picking his way through the forest when he suddenly felt uneasy. He stood still, gripping the handle of his sickle tightly. A few years ago Kohaku would have brushed the feeling off as pre-hunt jitters but now he knew better. He closed his eyes and took few long, slow breaths to clear his mind. Then, he waited. It had taken some time for him to understand that he could not actively seek out the source of the feeling. Rather, the feeling found him.

He obediently followed the numinous ebb and flow of the feeling wherever it took him. After much trial and error he had learned the hard way that what he latched on to had no intention other than to restore balance to the woods. However, it was not particularly coherent in translating that desire to the human. Often, he might be led back and forth across the same section of the woods several times. When he was younger and more impulsive Kohaku would question the frustratingly redundant and slow directions. Eventually, though, he came to realize that his own frustration impeded his progress and he found that he arrived at the source of the disturbance much quicker when he did not try to force it. All he could do was drift along with the current flowing through his mind. In time he would find it… as long as he stayed patient.

*

It had to be a dream. Hushed, frightened voices were all around her in the darkness. It was ethereal…and too quiet. Edo was a bustling village and she knew she should have heard more than the occasional whimper. No, it could not be Edo, Sango reasoned mentally. A cold feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as the huntress began to claw her way to consciousness.

"Oh! She's coming around!" Sango heard a woman's excited whisper.

It took her several seconds to realize she had been moving around. It felt like her arms and legs were made of lead. Her limbs felt heavy and numb. _Paralysis?_ Her mind wondered, suddenly very alarmed. Someone was pressing cold fingers to her forehead and she winced.

"Yes, you're right, Aiko, hold on a minute, let me get over there…" A second female voice murmured.

The coldness of this 'Aiko' woman's hands eased her bleary concerns as the huntress in her began to re-emerge. She could feel her face. That was good. Gradually Sango became aware that she could also feel the fingertips of her left hand which was touching damp earth. Her eyes opened slowly but saw little. At first she thought she had been blinded as well until her vision adjusted to a dimly-lit view of a cave's ceiling.

The second woman's voice was closer than when she had first heard. For the first time Sango tried to address one of the two voices but found she could only croak inarticulately. She mentally checked that off her list of cooperating body parts.

"Don't try to speak, ma'am." The second voice stated. The knowledgeable timbre of her voice carried with it a sense that she was wise despite the apparent youthfulness.

Sango nodded that she understood reflexively and found to her relief that her head and neck were now functional. It seemed that whatever poison had been introduced to her system (and she assumed that had been what had incapacitated her in the first place) it appeared to be temporary.

"Look, Shoko!" Aiko's voice piped up. "She's moved her head already!"

The second voice, now identified as 'Shoko' hummed thoughtfully before she responded, "Hmm, yes, she seems to be recovering remarkably quickly."

The huntress turned her eyes in the direction of Shoko's voice. The woman's knees were the first thing she could see and they were covered in the familiar red fabric of a hakama. _Another miko, then…_ Sango internally noted. Her eyes moved up from the knees of the woman to find her face. Shoko's white haori confirmed Sango's deduction while her round face, albeit young and not quite as old as she, radiated a thoughtful calm that spoke volumes of her intelligence. The huntress tried to mouth a few questions to her but found her lips were slow to respond. Apparently, her face had not yet regained some of its fine motor skills. The miko took one look at her attempts and began supplying information as if she had answered such queries a dozen times before.

"As far as you can see and I can tell we're inside a cave." Shoko began. "It's not like any cave near my village; do you recognize it? Oh, pardon my manners, I am Shoko and this one is Aiko."

Shoko gestured towards a young peasant girl on the cusp of womanhood. She had cherubic baby cheeks coupled with an awkwardly bony frame which had yet to develop curves. She had to be barely older than her twins. _Oh gods, the twins!_ The shock brought forth to mind the recollection of Sango's last conscious moments in Edo. Her daughters had come running towards her as she fought a losing battle against a hoard of raging demons side-by-side with Kaede. Yuriko and Kimiko carried armfuls of paper talisman that had been created and stockpiled by their father for youkai hunts. Sango tried to tell them that the talisman would not work without the proper handling from a Buddhist monk but she became too engrossed with the battle to argue.

Most mothers would have been horrified to find their children on the battlefield but in her clan the children were trained to hunt and utilize weaponry as soon as they could walk. Children were expected to participate in hunts and help defend their home. How else could they survive in their demon-ridden world? Miroku did not object much either; he was rather relieved that they would be raised to defend themselves. The houshi claimed that the boys would be less troublesome to them as well. At that time his wife had curtly pointed out that her training had not stopped a certain troublesome monk.

While her daughters were in the midst of battle the huntress wondered if she had not trained them well enough. They had brought Buddhist talisman into a battle without a Buddhist monk, the folly! Yet the twins seemed oblivious. They attached the small strips of paper to throwing knives and began expertly slinging them into the foreheads of the demonic hoard. To her utter astonishment the hit demons began shrieking and froze in place as their skin began to bubble and hiss around the paper. Sango stared, blinking several times as she witnessed her young daughters vaporizing lesser demons and immobilizing the more powerful ones.

Kaede's terse call brought her mind back into focus, "Quit ye gawking! Tis naught the time for ye to be questioning a mira—…"

The old woman's words were cut off when something slashed into her shoulder out of nowhere. Sango could hear her two daughters scream Kaede's name. She barked to her girls to stay focused. Then she heard a whistling sound of something rapidly approaching. She ducked and felt the wind rush over her head. The voice of a young man was at her ear.

"Wow, you're pretty good… but not good enough."

She felt a sharp stab of pain and then everything had gone dark.

_Her girls! Oh she'd left her girls there alone!_ Sango struggled to sit up. The feeling had returned to her arms but they weren't entirely cooperating. Aiko helped to lean her up against the cave wall for support.

"M-my girls…" Sango rasped. "Where're my girls?"

"My goodness, you are a strong woman! Your voice has already returned to you." Aiko gushed excitedly.

"Girls?" Shoko murmured; her ebony eyes darted about the dim space. "There are many girls here. What are they wearing?"

"They look identical; ten and eleven years old. Yuriko has a red checkered yukata and Kimiko has a green one with the same design." The huntress wanted to hope her girls were safe but experience told her that such pipe dreams only made it that much more difficult to bear unpleasant and inevitable news. She and Kaede had been the most seasoned fighters in Edo while the rest of the gang was away and if they could be taken out so quickly then it was a waste of energy to hope that her young, untrained girls had escaped. That pessimism allowed the demon hunter to keep her mind nimble in such a situation. Shoko quickly confirmed her fears.

"Ah, yes, I know of whom you speak." The miko replied before turning her gaze to the other girl. "Aiko, please go see if they are awake, will you?"

For a moment the girl appeared reluctant to leave but Shoko's unwavering and authoritative gaze spurred her to move finally. When she was out of earshot the miko leaned closer to the hunter.

"Those girls are twins, are they not?" She whispered as she scanned the cave to be sure that no one else could be listening.

Sango flinched at the comment. In her time twins were considered auspicious symbols capable of calling forth exceptionally good or horrifically bad luck. Cultural beliefs dictated that twins upset the natural order of the world. To most, imbalance was viewed as dangerous even when it was favorable. Preferably, an imbalance ought to have been eliminated. Others believed that twins were the result of a bestial union with a youkai. Such sentiments could also be deadly. Consequently, women keeping multiples often lied about the age of their twins publically in order to protect them from superstitious villagers. Only those in Edo knew differently because of their more progressive beliefs. Still, they were far from Edo at present and this woman was completely alien to her.

"No. They're not…"

"Do not worry." Shoko gave the woman's hand a comforting pat "I do not place my belief in such petty fears. I had Aiko move them away from the others…for their safety. Some of the women here have become, well, hysterical and they are too willing to seek blame in innocents."

The huntress visibly relaxed for a moment. Then she realized that she could feel Shoko's hand on hers. Perhaps she could attempt to sit up? Minutes later, with some help from the miko, Sango was able to maneuver herself into a sitting position. Feeling had returned to her arms and legs; though they felt as heavy as stone.

"My thanks, lady Shoko," Sango began as she searched for any sign of her girls.

She could not keep worrying like this if she wanted to keep her mind focused. She needed to talk; to force her mind away from lingering fears that would otherwise paralyze a normal person.

"How long have you been awake?" She queried.

"I am not sure. There're only women here. We are kept far from the entrance so I have not been able to gauge the direction of the sun. However, I'm fairly certain that I have been awake for at least two days. There were others who had been here longer…"

"Were…?" Past tense was always a bad sign.

"Yes, they were taken by the demons." Shoko's voice echoed hollowly, "Every few days or so the demons take some of them—always the ones who have been there the longest—down deeper into this cave."

Sango was perplexed, "They're not eating them?"

It was not uncommon for demons to keep humans in a pen for later feeding frenzies. All the hunters had seen it before. The demons stored what they could not eat right away, but they did not drag them off somewhere else when they were hungry. They simply gobbled them up, right from the pen, when it was time. That was when another thought struck Sango. Since when had she ever seen a holding pen so large? Her eyes focused on taking in every detail of their prison. It was very dark in the cave, illuminated in the distance by a single torch affixed to a gate on a tall bamboo fence. There had to be at least a hundred women in the pen with her. It would have taken days to acquire so many humans. A demon would not have the patience to collect that many spares. Not to mention, a normal demon would not bother to waste energy and resources feeding the spares for so many days.

The miko shuddered, "I-I… do not think so. Normally, I can feel… something, when a person passes on. I have not experienced that feeling at all here."

Sango noticed that the woman had not looked directly at her. Her eyelids dropped down as she gazed towards the damp earth floor. Was she ashamed that she had a special ability? The huntress suddenly recalled how well villagers tolerated extraordinary people.

The mother of four smiled warmly at the woman. "It's good you can do that. Can you sense anything else? Can you sense youkai auras?"

Shoko met her gaze with stunned surprise, "Yes I can. Why do you ask?"

Hope fluttered in the heart of the huntress before she had the chance to suppress it. Shifting her legs so that they were beneath her, Sango leaned forward to whisper in the miko's ear.

"Can you differentiate the auras? Can you tell me how many youkai are near?"

The young woman pursed her lips together and then licked them nervously. "Yes but they must be close… fifty or less paces away."

Sango could have shouted for joy but somehow managed to hold herself in check. "Good, good. Are you familiar with many of the women here?"

The huntress bore the tone of one who was thinking quickly and eagerly; it grabbed Shoko's attention, "Yes, I know most of them… there is little else to do here except talk, pray, and keep everyone calm."

"…anyone from samurai clans or taijiya?" Sango found herself holding her breath as she anxiously waited for a response.

The priestess did not disappoint. "Several, in fact… Why do you ask?"

"That's great news." Sango's tone began to sound more authoritative, "Lady Shoko, I want you to bring these women to me. Send them one or two at a time at most. We don't want to raise any suspicion."

The miko was stumped, "But… why?"

In the half-light, Sango smiled. "I've got an idea."

-*-

"What the hell is up with this kid? His trail is all over the place!" Inu Yasha grumped as he sniffed at a bush where Kohaku's scent lingered.

"How should I know?" Kagome shrugged. Even she could tell that the trail they had been following was a meandering one at best.

"He better have a good reason…" Miroku grumbled as he rubbed the back of his bruised skull; as if to imply he meant his injury, as well.

Trailing Kohaku had been a long, arduous process. There was no apparent rhyme or reason to his path but with no other lead to follow they were forced to ride the journey out. Days passed but the trail remained strong. Inu Yasha had to admit that Kohaku was smart enough to leave a strong scent to follow. The hunter certainly took a great risk by leaving such obvious signs of his presence. He chanced attacks by bandits or other demons; yet the woods seemed eerily peaceful the longer they traveled. As they moved the miko was often heard muttering that something "felt wrong." Miroku concurred.

In the end, Kohaku wound up finding them first. Seemingly out of nowhere, the hunter approached them when they stopped to make camp. He wore a hunting mask similar to the one his sister wore. The designs varied just slightly for differentiation. Miroku was upon him in an instant. The houshi was desperate for answers about his beloved wife. Inu Yasha was forced to pry the monk away from him. He muttered gruffly that it was obvious he had eaten little and the kid would be able to tell them a lot more when he had a chance to recover. Miroku begrudgingly let the young man go and Kagome hurriedly threw together a quick meal.

Kohaku had been famished! He gobbled down his food greedily. In between bites he related his tale. The young man had followed an extremely difficult trail. Several times he had gotten the impression that the demonic caravan was purposely trying to lose anyone following them. There were indications that groups of demons had split off and joined up later with the main group while other times the caravan doubled back or circled around an area. Normally, that would have confused the scenting capabilities of hunting companions like Kirara. Fortunately, Kohaku was operating under the guidance of the very forest itself. Unfortunately, the forest was rather insistent on finding the disturbance so he had not had much time to eat or rest.

Kohaku and Inu Yasha then spent several minutes trying to decipher why demons would try so hard to hide their tracks. The demons had been victorious in battle so there was no reason for them to behave so cautiously. By nature they were prideful creatures and, flush with the thrill of victory, they should have stormed through the forest. They would encourage hunters to find them when they were winning because their blood encouraged them to call forth challenge after challenge, growing bolder with each victory until they did eventually lose. However, there was no indication at all that they had needed to retreat after the attack on Edo. So, why then had they become so suddenly timid?

When it was obvious the conundrum was leading them nowhere Miroku cleared his throat and waved his hand in an effort to spur his brother-in-law on with his story. It turned out that the reason Kohaku had approached them was that they were close to where he believed the demons were keeping their den. The monk insisted that they leave immediately. Inu Yasha agreed. The hanyou was never one to wait around for too long and it only encouraged him to see Miroku so fired up as well.

Kagome and Kohaku were not quite so gung-ho. The two argued that they ought to scout the den a little before launching their attack. Anyone who had seen the attack had either been kidnapped or had not lived to tell about it, and both agreed they were missing information on their enemies that could prove costly in battle. Miroku continued to argue that they might be using up valuable time they might not have while they waited to form a strategy. Kohaku remained adamant that they needed to proceed with more caution than the usual demonic hunt. The debate became more heated between the monk and the houshi when Sango's name was brought up. Inu Yasha was getting ready to defend Miroku when he caught sight of his wife's face out of the corner of his eye. One worried look from Kagome was enough for the hanyou to think twice about charging in. The dog demon knew that he could not send his beloved back to the safety of her time period like before and it had made him much more concerned of the hidden dangers of the Sengoku Period. In the end, the miko and the hunter got their way.

-*-

Meanwhile, not far from the camp in the cave, Sango had used the next few days to learn several things about her captors. Shoko and Aiko had observed that roughly every week a large group of youkai appeared at the cave. Every other week the youkai brought new female captives to the caves. Noticeably, the backgrounds of the women were mostly the same. Everyone tended to come from small farming villages that happened to be fairly isolated from most major trade routes. Additionally, everyone was a woman, but not too elderly, nor too young. The youngest girl there was eleven years old and the eldest was forty. Sango could not be sure what exactly it meant but she was not willing to hang around long enough to find out because of the second habit of their youkai captors. Shoko had informed the huntress that on weeks the demons did not bring in women they came to take a handful of women away deeper into the caves. Aiko had informed her that the time the demons would return to collect some women was rapidly approaching and no one wanted to be around long enough to find out where they went. Thus, it was decided that they would make their escape attempt as soon as possible.

They waited until breakfast had been brought. No one was particularly sure what day it was except for the way food was acquired. Three times a day a group of demons would come into the pen with bowls of rice and meat. There was a longer delay between one of these meals so it was assumed that this was likely "night time." Hence, the next meal that followed this span of time was deemed "breakfast."

Daylight hours were considered to be the best time to escape. It might have seemed counter-intuitive (and there were certainly a number of women who objected) to try an escape attempt in broad daylight. However, with demons involved, escapes had to be planned differently. Sango explained that demons tended to be nocturnal creatures and they always had a keen sense of smell. They also had significantly better night-vision than humans had. A night escape meant that a human would likely stumble about in the dark, leaving their scent everywhere and becoming terribly lost and tired. Meanwhile, a demon could take their time hunting down. They would be most alert at night and could rely on their sense of smell to guide them to prey. That made the odds of recapture incredibly high. During daylight demons preferred to rest and build energy for night hunts. It made them slower and more prone to mistakes. Additionally, the humans could see where they were going which made it easier to spread out and split up. Sango could not promise that everyone would be able to escape, but all chances improved when youkai had too many trails to track.

Of course, the huntress had made plans for the escaping women beyond simply running willy-nilly through the forest. The wives of samurai had been summoned for that very reason. Samurai families, unlike other ancient Japanese castes, were trained survivalists. The wives of samurai, in particular, had to know how to defend the family home while their husbands were away in the service of their masters. Samurai wives had to be leaders, defenders, fighters, and survivors all at once. Their natural knowledge made them ideal team leaders for the rest of the women. The women had been broken up into teams; each team would run in a particular cardinal direction when they were outside the cave. The samurai wives would head up each team to help lead them in the assigned direction. It was Sango's hope that one of these directions would take someone to a nearby village since no one knew exactly where they were or their proximity to any relative safety.

At the moment Sango was finalizing escape plans with Shoko. There had been a slew of questions from nervous women that had been funneled one-at-a-time through each samurai wife team leader. It had been requested that Shoko say several prayers for a successful escape. However, the prayers might cause the youkai guards to become suspicious so the two women were trying to come up with a more-subtle version of the ritual. In the middle of their discussion Shoko suddenly froze. She closed her eyes and her brow wrinkled as she concentrated on sorting out the sudden surge of energy she had felt.

When it passed, she locked her eyes on Sango. "Lady Sango, the youkai have returned!"

The huntress had to fight the urge to panic knowing that the timing meant that the demons would be taking some of the women away. She hoped they would not take any of their precious samurai wives. The others needed them to help keep everybody safe! As if on cue, the gate to the pen burst open and youkai began shoving women backwards; away from the door. When everyone had been pushed far enough back the demons formed up in a line around the gateway. At the forefront, two of them stepped back to allow another figure to pass.

Sango gaped when a man appeared. He was not anything like the other demons, though she was certain he was one. The man—well, really, just barely beyond a boy—was a head shorter than the other demons. His hay-colored hair was tied high in a white thong on the back of his head and long, straight bangs framed a pair of bloody red eyes. He scanned the room silently for several minutes. The air felt heavy with the feeling of fearful expectation from his captive audience. _Oh gods, he's choosing!_ Sango cried inside her mind.

The huntress badly wanted to look for her two girls; she wondered how they were faring on the far side of the cave. Shoko had wisely kept them separated from their mother, though she gave the girls messages from her as many times as she could. If the demons or the villagers knew that Sango had twin daughters it could have put them in a very dangerous situation. Thankfully, Yuriko and Kimiko were very understanding of the situation to the point that their mother marveled their level of maturity.

The blonde man raised one of his hands slowly; palm facing the stalactites. Sango narrowed her eyes as she watched him curl his fingers until only his index finger remained extended. The hand turned over and began to swing in a long, leisurely arc across the terrified faces of the women. _He's enjoying this. He's choosing…just to scare his victims, the creepy bastard!_ The huntress observed as a hint of a smile curled one corner of the man's carefully painted red lips.

"Those two, over there," He spoke quietly.

Sango's stomach seemed to flip as she realized he was pointing right at Yuriko and Kimiko. Worse, she recognized the man's voice as the one who had whispered to her right before she had been knocked out. Selfishly, she hoped he meant some other girls.

"…The ones that look the same; take those." The man insisted and gave an impatient sigh when the demon at his side took far too long to respond to his command.

Even from that distance and the dim light Sango could see her girls clasp their hands together for support. Her heart twisted painfully; they knew they were going to be taken away. The huntress squeezed her hands into fists against the damp earthen floor as she watched two demons lumber over to them and prod at them to get up with the butt-end of their long spears. The girls stood without a fight, their eyes downcast to the floor, still holding hands.

The mother in Sango wanted to jump up and scream at the youkai to let them go. It took everything she had not to; but she knew she could not fight for them now. If she did she knew that it would only lead to her capture and if she were caught she could do nothing for them. Shoko had told her once that she could not sense that any of the women had been slaughtered so it meant the huntress likely had the opportunity to go retrieve them.

Her lips formed a thin, grim line as she watched the demons shepherd her daughters and five other women out through the gate. _Hang on girls, Mommy will save you, I promise._ She thought as the gate swung shut behind the retreating forms.


	12. Escape

**Sorry for the delay. Classes have been harder than anticipated and mechanical failure has been the name of the game for just about every freaking vehicle I step foot in. It's killed some of my creative spark. Blah! **

**About Samurai Wives: I forgot to mention this in my last chapter but samurai women were defenders of the home while the men were on duty. They tended to hold more authority than other women at the time and often knew how to fight. Knowing this, Sango would obviously pick them to help get everyone else out. **

"**Sixteen Hells": Miroku shouts this towards the end of the chapter. I derived the phrase from the Buddhist equivalent of purgatory called "Naraka" (note that Naraku is the Japanese translation of the same thing). **

**Reader Question: Sorry I didn't have one for you with the last chapter but I couldn't think of any off the top of my head. Anyway, I've got one for you all this time! In my story Sango and Miroku have the twins Yuriko and Kimiko, and they also have a son and another daughter. Believe it or not, I'm terrible about picking names. I waffle on names for just about every character I make. This time around I'd like to know what names you guys think would work for their son and daughter. If you have some good ones, shoot me a review or send me e-mails/messages. Let me know what the meaning is behind the name, too. Considering everything Sango and Miroku have been through and their backgrounds (Buddhist monk and taijiya) I'd like to know your reasoning for those names. Whoever comes up with names I like will get acknowledgement in my next Author's note section and all that good stuff. Also, be aware that I'm not looking for websites with lists of Japanese baby names. I've found those easily enough on my own… but I can never just DECIDE on a single name. That's why I'm hoping for a little help from you guys! Thanks for reading! **

-*-

Sango hated the waiting game. A long time ago her father had once joked with her that for all her hunting talent it was wasted on her inability to wait for the prey to come to her. Hunters had to get up before the sun rose, wait out in the cold until the sun had warmed the frost to dew, wait for the youkai to make that one fatal step that left them perfectly vulnerable, and then strike. When she whined about the waiting her father had told her that youkai were physically superior in every way. That was why humans had to utilize their smarts, their _spirit_, to overcome the odds which tipped so easily in favor of the former. As a youth she had barely understood how tenacity could not overcome every obstacle. But now, as a mother and a seasoned warrior she knew so much better.

She knew she was no match for a fight with the master of the youkai. He was too quick, and too deadly to take on alone. Even with the help of her small army of women they'd surely be outclassed. No, she would not risk the lives of those women for her own selfish gain. Sango loved her girls but she knew when she had a job to do and the time was rapidly approaching when she would have to play her part.

Last night Shoko had announced that the youkai master, the bloody-eyed man, had left the cave. He took with him a large number of demons, leaving only a skeleton crew to keep an eye on and tend to the women. The first meal had just been served and now she waited for the miko to give the signal that the secondary guards had returned to their posts. The secondary guards were called in when a meal was served to make sure that no one got brave enough to attack the youkai while the gate was open. Once they were far enough away then they would make her move.

The minutes ticked by. Sango's eyes remained locked on Shoko's face. Then, almost imperceptibly, the miko's head dipped in a tiny nod. It was time!

Sango stood up and began untying the red sash around her middle. At the same time from across the room another woman got to her feet and began doing the same to her obi. The bulky material slid away until only the inner sash remained. All around her other women began doing the same, following the pantomimed expressions of their team leaders. Everyone else except Sango and the other woman remained seated, though most had shifted to their knees in a position that gave them the ability to get to their feet quickly.

Sango nodded to the other woman, a samurai wife named Masako, and they began to pick their way, quickly but silently through the crowd of women to the gate. They reached it at the same time and began expertly scaling the bamboo structure. Within seconds they had reached the top of the fence and peeked over the top at their targets. The huntress was glad to learn Shoko's second sight was perfectly accurate. In the long, naturally made corridor that stretched out and away on the other side of the fence only two youkai stood at attention in front of the gate. Sango waited for a few seconds to make sure nobody was coming before signaling to the other woman that they would make their move.

The two dropped down to the ground silently behind their oblivious targets. Sango gripped the sash wound between her fists a little tighter as she gave Masako a nod to continue. They raised their arms and then quickly brought their make-shift nooses around the heads of the two demons. Before the two youkai even had a chance to react their voices were cut off as the air was choked from them. Sango held on tight as the demon struggled in vain, clawing at his neck, until she felt the demon's airway collapse beneath the pressure of the sash. The demon groped at the air, stumbled, and fell forward with a dull thump. The huntress waited several minutes before releasing her pressure on the demon. She wanted to make good and sure he was dead. When she looked back over to Masako she saw the young woman still choking a demon that was obviously dead.

"That is for taking me away from my husband, you bastard." She murmured in the dead demon's ear, her voice as cold as ice.

Sango stood and patted the woman's shoulder for her to stop. Masako looked up at her, tears barely contained on her dark lashes. She gave the woman a soft squeeze to her elbow, "You'll see him soon. Now, help me."

Masako nodded and the two relieved the guards of two spears and a few daggers. Sango quickly tied her sash back on and handed the dagger to the other woman. The huntress was much handier with large, blunt objects but without knowing where Hiraikotsu might be she settled for the spear. The two pushed open the heavy gate and handed the remaining weapons to the first two available team leaders.

Some of the women started to cry excitedly but Sango and Shoko motioned for silence. They weren't out of the woods (or cave, in this case) yet. They could not risk getting caught over a few hysterical girls. The huntress and Masako allowed Shoko to take the lead as they moved through the cave. She was the only one who could sense the demons and therefore needed to stay ahead of everyone in case she found something. Fortunately, there was little resistance and the upward slope of the cave floor indicated that they were heading in the right direction towards the exit.

During their escape they came across another set of guards. There were only two of them as Shoko indicated. When the group of angry women descended on them Sango almost felt sorry for them… almost. Hell hath no fury like a woman torn from her children, after all.

They turned a sharp corner and everyone breathed a sigh of relief when sunlight winked in the distance. They were almost to the exit! Some women forgot themselves and broke out into a run for the exit. Sango pushed to keep up with them, trying to warn them that Shoko had sensed more demons at the exit. Still they ran until two shadows blocked the sun's rays. The demons had spotted them. The crowd of women came to a screeching halt as the formed lumbered towards them, feral growls echoed off the walls. Sango raised her spear and pushed through the throng of people along with other samurai wives but the more hysterical ones were making it difficult to get to the front.

One of the demons grabbed a woman in his claws and she began to scream. Sango lunged forward to try and rescue her but tripped over the leg of a sobbing woman. She dropped into an awkward roll and came up right in front of the second demon. _Shit! She was too close!_ Her mind warned belatedly as the demon smacked her aside into the wall.

She was stunned from the impact, but thankfully, not knocked out. The huntress struggled to get back on her feet as the second demon reared back to strike again.

His fist vanished in a flash of blinding white light. The demon looked at the stump where his hand had been a moment ago, staring in disbelief. Just as he was about to howl in pain Sango ducked below him and came up suddenly driving her spear through his jaw, killing him instantly. The other demon was caught halfway in an angry snarl when he realized he had a new addition to his torso. Looking down the demon saw that a giant sword was sticking out through his middle. A gruff, yet familiar voice broke through the brief moment of stunned silent.

"Damn, Sango, you didn't leave us practically any demons! What's the fun in that?"

The huntress opened her mouth to speak but felt a wave of dizziness pass over her. She'd hit the wall a little harder than she thought but adrenaline had kept her ignorant to it. She stumbled a little but was instantly caught up in strong arms amidst the sound of a tinkling staff as it fell to the floor.

"Sango!" Miroku said in a hoarse whisper as he buried his face in her hair. His hands wrapped protectively around her back.

Kagome was upon her and fussing in a heartbeat. Sango surmised it must have been her arrow which took out the demon's hand in the first place. She also noticed Kohaku hovering just behind her; causing the huntress to smile in relief. _Thank the gods he, too, is safe_. She thought.

"Hold on, Miroku, I need to make sure she's okay…" The miko tugged gently on one of his shoulders to encourage him to release her.

Sango pushed away from her husband's embrace slowly, shaking her head. "I'm fine, really. We need to get these women out of here. They're not safe here."

"Where are Yuriko and Kimiko?" Miroku interrupted; having already scanned the crowd of women for his girls.

The huntress shook her head, a glimpse of her former self reflected in her eyes. "They were taken deeper into the caves. I don't know where… or…" She would not voice her worst fears aloud, but the concern was felt all the same: _or if they're still alive_.

Miroku was already making to head further into the caves when Shoko raised her voice.

"What will happen to us?" The second miko eyed Inu Yasha warily. Sango had explained to her that he was one of the "good guys." Still, it was hard for her to believe; especially with everything that had happened recently.

The simple question gave the gang pause. They needed to press on into the cavern to look for the girls but the other women also needed to be escorted to safety. Sango was not sure the women would be comfortable being escorted by a hanyou but… who else would be able to track the way home? Then it dawned on her.

"Kohaku," She said, half announcing it, half a question, "Can you lead these women back to their homes? You were at one of the villages, correct?"

The huntress felt her unease build when her friends and family returned reluctant, silent looks back her way. She had no way of knowing that there was no one left in any of the villages they had discovered. Inu Yasha glanced at Kagome, sensing that a delicate touch was needed to handle this new situation.

Kagome pursed her lips together in thought as she pondered an option that would not force them to explain the bad news right away. Telling them now would most certainly cause panic among them.

Thankfully, Kohaku had an answer. "Sister, I think it would be best to take them to Edo first. We'll need supplies from there if we're ever going to get them back to their home towns safely."

Shoko nodded. "That is probably for the best. I'm not sure any of us could get back home from here. I'm not certain where we are, exactly. Lady Sango, will you not come with us, too?"

She shook her head. "No, I need to find my girls and the others. Now that everyone's here I can do that."

"Very well, good luck to you all." Shoko bowed respectfully to them before turning to follow Kohaku as he led the large group away.

"Cover your tracks, kid." Inu Yasha called out as they were leaving. Now that he knew how to get to the cave it would be easy for the hanyou to plot his own course back home. He only needed to take a path once before the trail was burned into his memory permanently. Sango and Miroku did not wait to watch them leave. She was already leading her husband back the way she had come. On the way to the pen the huntress filled in the details of the attack on Edo, her time in the pen, and the taking of her daughters. Inu Yasha watched his wife out of the corner of his eye the entire time; watching a small, thoughtful frown turn down the corners of her lips. He had hoped she would not exhibit that look. It meant that the answers that were often so quick in coming to her were not there today. The odd behavior Sango expressed about the actions of her captors was no less bizarre to him, either. Mysteries were a bad sign on a demon hunt like this. It always meant that their small group was likely to be in even greater danger in battle before things started to make sense.

Eventually they passed by the pen. Miroku noted that the fence erected to keep the women contained seemed rather well-made. Normally, pens were little more than a few dead logs stacked haphazardly into a clumsy enclosure. Once the prey was caught there was little reason to venture back out into the wild—food was sitting right there. Why risk watching it run away by wandering off somewhere? Hence, there was little need to make a complicated enclosure like the one they saw. The mystery was pushed to the back of everyone's minds when Sango anxiously urged them beyond the pen in the direction Shoko had indicated Yuriko and Kimiko had been taken. The walls of the cavern grew narrower as they progressed and sloped further downward. Inu Yasha grunted that he could smell sea water. Perhaps there was another exit to this cave? Miroku seemed to think it was entirely possible. Everyone lapsed into silence. The only sounds echoing off the rock walls was the quiet rustle of fabric, the metallic click of jangled weapons, and the scrape of shoes against the ground.

Just as Kagome was beginning to wonder if they weren't on a wild goose chase the cave walls fell away into a large, open area. On the left the light of their torches reflected off slowly lapping waves of water. The miko wondered if the cave had been formed by the water and had receded over many years. Suddenly, Sango broke away from the group and headed towards the right side of the cavern. There she knelt down and touched the sandy floor.

"Someone built a fire here." She spoke. "It's been doused with water but I don't think it was put out too long ago. It seems fresh."

Inu Yasha, who had been holding the torch for the group, moved towards the huntress, bringing more light to the area. He wrinkled his nose. "Gods, this place reeks of demons. Lots of different kinds, too…" He sniffed the air, "They left pretty recently…"

"… And in a hurry…" Miroku added; peering around at the piles of debris left behind. "Damn it, where did they go?"

"Hmm… I could tell you, but where's the fun in that?" The male voice caused everyone to jump.

"Over here, guys. It is so very dark in here, isn't it?" He said and gave a little wave to direct their attention to him standing no more than fifty feet away. Kagome gawped at his flagrantly casual attitude. The man acted like he was waving down some friends at a bus stop, for crying out loud!

The miko shot her husband a look and he gave her the tiniest of shrugs to indicate that the man did not smell like a demon. His golden eyes flickered red in the torchlight, sliding in her direction. By the look on her face he could guess that she was not sensing a demon either. A little further back he caught sight of Miroku, obviously taken aback and confused. Still, the monk made no attempt to reach for one of his talisman so he sensed nothing either.

"You…" The whispered sound of Sango's voice reached the hanyou's sensitive ears; too quiet for the others to hear. His eyes immediately turned towards her. His excellent night vision made it easy to see her slightly shaking form and the way she had clenched her fists tightly down by her sides. And her scent… she was angry, no, _furious_ with the man about something. Instinctively his claws curled tighter around the hilt of his drawn sword, knuckles popping.

Then someone was shrieking.

"You took my babies!" Sango screamed, suddenly charging forward. "Where are my girls?!"

The blonde man raised a quizzical eyebrow to the rapidly approaching and utterly infuriated mother. Inu Yasha was so stunned by the normally reserved woman that he hesitated until he realized Miroku was moving as well. One of his hands dug into the folds of his robe as he fished for a paper sutra. The hanyou looked to his wife to see if she had nocked an arrow as he bent his knees and prepared to charge. Over the years he had learned that if he waited a fraction of a second for the miko to fire an arrow he could use it to pinpoint the weakest area on an enemy youkai. Her arrows seemed drawn to youkai weak spots. Also, he did not appreciate getting caught in the resultant purifying blast. It always stung.

To his utter shock he realized his wife was not in an attack pose at all. In face, her hands remained at her sides with the bow dangling idly by one hand. Her eyes were wide and wild; as if she could only watch her friends fight in horrified and useless fascination. Inu Yasha called her name but she did not respond. Then, just as Sango had jumped into the air intending to bring down her spear on the man's head, Kagome began to yell.

"No, wait! Don't attack him!"

But it was too late. A smug, satisfied smirk grew over the man's features as he reached behind his back and produced Hiraikotsu. One word left his lips: "Catch!"

Lightning fast, the bone boomerang was launched from his fingertips, sailing in a wide loop towards her friends. Miroku and Sango dove for cover, barely missing as Hiraikotsu zipped over their heads and buried itself in a nearby wall with a loud thump. Kagome rushed towards her friends to see if they were okay while Inu Yasha dashed forward, sword held high as a ferocious snarl tore from his throat. When he was within ten feet of the man the normally-agile hanyou tripped on a large root which had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Without a second thought Kagome turned from where she had been checking on her friends (a little banged up but no worse for wear) and nocked an arrow to her bow. Milliseconds later the bow flashed brightly from Kagome's spiritual energy as she released it towards the man who had begun to stare at her intently. As soon as she did so she dashed towards her husband. The hanyou had already begun to push himself back up when he heard the sound of one of the miko's arrows whizzing overhead. He was forced to take another dirt dive. Kagome arrived at his side in time to hear a string of colorful cuss words.

"Shit, Kagome, warn me next time!" He groaned as he rubbed his neck gingerly, looking about to see what had become of their enemy.

"Interesting…" The man mumbled as he eyed the two before turning his gaze onto the shaft of Kagome's arrow poking out of his shoulder. With an annoyed "hmm" vines sprouted from the bloodless hole in his shirt. They curled around the arrow and stripped away the feathered fletching from the wood. At the same time the hole in his shoulder contorted for a moment and then pushed out the metal head of the arrow. The bare wooden shaft was then pulled into the hole in his shoulder where it filled in and sealed up, along with his clothes, as if he'd never been hit.

"I knew it." Kagome murmured, her eyes fixed straight ahead on the man.

"What?" Her husband asked; more confused than ever before.

"He's not a youkai. He's… something else. I can sense it."

"Well that much is obvious. So, how do we kill it?" The hanyou grumped, running a hand through his ebony hair in frustration.

Kagome shrugged. The strange man spoke up.

"Now, to answer your first question after I was so rudely interrupted…" He shot a withering glance in Miroku and Sango's direction. His expression, which seemed so belittling, sent Sango into another fit of rage. Her husband struggled to keep her restrained by holding onto both of her leather gauntlets. "Your girls are very safe and _very _well hidden."

"That doesn't tell me anything!" She shouted.

"Sango…" He hissed as quietly as he could, his back was towards the man from his struggles and he hoped that whatever he was did not have good hearing like youkai. "Calm down. He's got our girls and we don't know where he's keeping them."

"How can you be so calm?" His wife choked out, frustrated tears filling her eyes, making Miroku's heart wrench.

"I'm just as angry as you." He gripped her forearms so tight that she winced. His eyes bored into hers with a concentrated intensity that proved as much. Just as quickly he un-tensed his fingers and drew a long breath to maintain his composure. "We have to be calm right now. This _thing _can't tell us where Yuri and Kimi are if he's dead. You know that. Think about the 'what if's' please. Tell me I'm wrong."

Sango sucked in a deep breath as she reigned in her emotions, forcing the cold huntress mentality to return to the forefront. He had used one of her own sayings against her to do it, too. Whenever her husband came home from a particularly vicious exorcism with Inu Yasha (before Kagome had returned) she would tick off a barrage of 'what if' questions: "What if you got bitten and the wound got infected? The hanyou can't properly dress your wounds! What if you broke a leg and couldn't work anymore? Would I have to start hunting again? What if you _died_?" He was right. She needed to be calm or else she would be worrying about all the 'what if's' for a lifetime. After a few more deep breaths she regained her composure enough to give him a small nod that she would behave. Miroku gave her a soft, reassuring smile before he released her arms and turned towards the mystery man.

"I find it difficult to believe that you would stay behind simply to taunt us." The monk said as he kept his tone neutral and almost pleasant, though his tone implied a poisoned sweetness.

The slender blonde smiled and replied, though he kept his ruby eyes fixed on Kagome. "You're quite the charming human. The flesh told me you were far less composed… Hmm, I suppose it shouldn't surprise me. The flesh was far too dramatic for his own good."

"Wait, do you know me? I can't say I remember crossing paths with you before." Miroku's staff tinkled softly as he shifted his feet in an attempt to divert some of his growing concern away from gnawing at his mind. He needed to focus.

"Why of course I do, Miroku." The stranger smiled and spread his arms wide as he declared, "I know all of you: Sango, Inu Yasha, and Lady Kagome. Where is your little fox-child and that human toy the flesh lost—what was his name again?—ah, that's right, Kohaku, yes?"

Inu Yasha gave a low growl. Kohaku wasn't some toy! He had been controlled once but that was by—oh shit.

"Naraku."

Kagome could not stop the involuntary shiver at her husband's mere mention of his name. Her heart fell into her stomach. Did her wish fail? Would he haunt her feudal family forever? She watched from the corner of her eye as Miroku checked his hand for the reappearance of his air rip. Nope, it was closed, however that didn't mean anything. Naraku had been able to make it disappear temporarily before, after all. Light, tittering laughter reached her ears. The stranger spoke again.

"Naraku? Is that what the flesh calls itself? Do you really think I'm him?"

"Well, not when you say it in that tone of voice." The miko muttered under her breath; her ire rising.

"No, no. Of course not, dear woman! Oh, how rude of me! Let me introduce myself. I am Noboru. That fool flesh released me to destroy you were he to fail. Unfortunately, I've decided to take a different path than the one he provided."

Miroku blinked, "Path?"

Noboru nodded absently, his voice so casually conversational. He did not answer him directly and spoke as if he was thinking more to himself aloud than anyone else. "Hmm…yes. His path was somewhat clever but so foolish. He told me everything about you and your friends with the idea that I could form some grand battle plan to kill you all. But really, what is the point? Killing you all won't bring him back, and why should I? He kept me contained for _years_; talking incessantly to me about how brilliant and powerful he was. Gods it was so _boring_! Yet, he's still dead and here you all are, still alive. He had all that power but he just could not leave you alone and he ended up getting killed over it. It's madness!"

Kagome folded her arms across her chest. He sure did like to talk. If he did not want to kill them then it was possible he could be persuaded into telling them something that might lead them to Yuri and Kimi. The miko contemplated her choice of questions. He seemed a lot more receptive to civil questions; it probably wasn't a good idea to be so direct, either. She'd have to wait to ask about the girls just yet, at least until she had a better idea of what kind of person he was.

A few personal questions seemed to be the safest bet, so she tried it. "So, Noboru, if you're not here to attack us then why are you here? Where are your friends?"

He gave an imperious snort, ignoring her first question initially, "Hmph! They're not my friends, they're my toys. I do with them as I wish. Why am I here? Well to see you all, of course! I had planned to introduce myself to you later but it seems you were far more eager to take back my collection and, well, I could not pass up the lucky coincidence."

"…Your collection?" Kagome was almost afraid to ask.

His smile brightened considerably as if he was about to speak of his favorite hobby. "Mmhmm. Those women should be grateful. They're helping me forge a new path."

"What the hell is this 'path' thing? What are you doing with all those women?" Inu Yasha had lost his patience with the young man. He knew Kagome was trying to pry good information out of him, but the guy was obviously a few ramen cups short of a picnic.

Red eyes flicked in the hanyou's direction momentarily, his smile fell into a small, irritated frown. "Now that would be telling. I see that you're just as rude as the flesh said you'd be. I, however, refuse to underestimate you."

Kagome was beginning to feel pressure build behind her eyes, a sign that she was becoming frustrated as well. It took some effort to keep her tone calm, "You took my friend's children and these women left families behind… please, just tell us where to find them."

He sighed wistfully at the miko, "I always wondered how I'd ever be able to say no to you. I'm sorry, I can't do that. It would ruin my fun…. However… I'll admit that I did not realize I had attacked your home village. I never meant to touch it. So, how about we come to an arrangement? Yes?"

Inu Yasha immediately began to protest "Like hell—"

"—Inu Yasha…" His wife's voice cut him off, reminding him by her warning tone that at the moment, he held all the cards. "…Let's hear him out first."

Noboru beamed, "I knew you would be reasonable! I know I could not ask you to forget the village women in exchange for Lady Sango's children and even if you did you would inevitably come looking for them. Therefore, I propose we play a little game. You see, Lady Kagome, you fascinate me. I would like to know more about you. If you were to permit me to see you on occasion—perhaps every few years or so, when I am not too busy—then I would be willing to give you a clue as to the location of the girls and the other women. Granted, you would have to be civil, but I would not ask for you to pretend to be nice. I just want to talk."

"Feh, this guy's full of shit." The hanyou grunted, sliding a look in the direction of Sango and Miroku to see what kind of reaction they were getting to this strange development.

"He's right. There is no reason to believe you would even follow through with this arrangement, even if she were to agree to it." The monk added.

The blonde nodded. "I understand your concerns, Miroku, but trust is all you will get. I have what I need for now and there is no reason for me to give it up. However, I can promise you that once I have agreed to the terms of my game that I cannot break the rules. Once I have sworn an oath I am unable to deny myself from performing them. My body will force me to act upon the terms of an oath regardless of the inconvenience." He paused for a moment then added, "I know that this is a decision that can not be made lightly so I'll give you some time to think it over. I'll send for you in a week and meet you in the woods near your lovely town—all of you are welcome to join us of course—and you can tell me your decision then… so shall I be bound to this oath."

When he said those words a red light began to glow from his forehead, bathing the cavern in shades of crimson. Miroku and Kagome both sensed a sudden surge of spiritual energy; as if the very earth itself had agreed to the rite. They looked at each other for confirmation, the monk shook his head. Then just as suddenly as the light appeared it vanished, leaving the gang in complete darkness.

"What in the sixteen hells was that?" He gasped as he instinctively reached inside his robe to retrieve another paper sutra.

"I don't know… is everyone all right?" Kagome heard Inu Yasha exclaim.

The miko responded at the same time Sango did that they were fine.

"…Noboru?" Kagome queried.

She was greeted with silence.

Inu Yasha cursed. "Damn it, the little shit took off. I don't see him… hell, I can't smell him either. 'Looks like Shippo was right about that, too…" He sighed. "Okay guys, stay where you are. I'll come to you. Let's get the hell out of here."


	13. Return to Edo

**Sorry for the delay but life has been throwing me for several loops as of late. Namely: One car broke down twice in two weeks eighty miles from home, our A/C died in 88 degree weather and the people took a week to replace it. All the stress made my migraines go out of control (despite all the preventative medications I'm on) which has led to me missing school. School's been very demanding of me because of the days I missed and a slave-driving fiber arts teacher… etc. Long story short, I got into a mess and it took me a long time to get out of it. The good news is that I might finally graduate this semester! If I can manage it then I won't have any more art classes murdering my creativity! Yay! **

**This chapter is supposed to be longer but I decided to chop it into two chapters just so I could at least get this little bit posted for everyone. I'd also like to send out a big thank you to MusicGoddess3 who so helpfully supplied me with some excellent names for Sango's and Miroku's younger son and daughter. This is what she had to say: "Akahanna- Red rose, I just think that is so pretty. Haruto- Cleared one, brave, That just sounds so cute." Ha! So very true! Akahanna goes perfectly with the flower names I picked out for Yuriko and Kimiko. Haruto sounds like a name Miroku might give his son, especially when I think about how his curse won't be passed down to him; like it's been cleared away. The "brave" part of it sounds like something strong Sango would like to have in a son; with her hunter background and all. So again, thank you so much for the suggestion! You're my hero! **

*

"Aw hell no!" Inu Yasha's furious voice sounded for what the miko assumed was the millionth time that afternoon. It had been less than a day since they had arrived back in Edo after the most perplexing "battle" she had ever witnessed. Inu Yasha had grumbled the same phrase almost every hour since Noboru had left them inside the cave.

The hanyou had used his excellent sense of direction and night vision to bring his human friends together in one place so that he could lead them outside and back into the open. From there it had only been a matter of time before Inu Yasha had picked up on Kohaku's scent and rejoined him and the other rescued women.

The trip back to Edo proved to be a tense one. Almost everyone walked silently; fearful that any sound might attract unwanted company or put Noboru's gang back on their trail. That did not stop Inu Yasha from muttering and grumbling the whole way there. He could not stop thinking about what the ruby-eyed brat had said. Were there not _enough_ men who wanted _his _wife? Now he had yet another fool asking for a beating!

Meanwhile, Kagome could see her husband silently fuming. As always, he was ever the type to try and keep his irritations secret; however little he could contain it. Had it been just she and her friends traveling she would have engaged his building argument the first time she'd overheard his muttering. However, with all those scared and jumpy women in tow, she thought it best to keep her own urge to fight at bay until they could reach the seclusion of home. It could only provoke their already-too-tense traveling companions into doing something rash; something that drew a predator's attention.

Fortunately, the gang met surprisingly little resistance. In fact, the woods seemed fairly empty of life for the rest of their trip. A single slug demon was encountered along the way but the slow, cat-sized thing turned out to be completely disinterested in them. Kagome assumed it was a lucky break and ignored it.

*

Days later the rag-tag group finally made it to Edo without the slightest hint of incident. Kagome was thrilled to see that the village seemed to be in the process of rebuilding itself. Several surviving men could be seen patching holes in thatched roofs while young girls sat nearby re-papering sliding doors.

The silhouette of a young boy darted into view just in time for Kagome to splay her arms wide to accept him into a fierce embrace. Shippo buried his face in her kimono and filled his lungs with her lovely scent.

"I knew you'd come back." He mumbled happily.

A small pang of guilt pierced the miko's heart when he spoke; reminded again that her three year absence had not only affected Inu Yasha but all of her friends.

"Of course she came back! I _was_ with her after all…" Inu Yasha grunted as gruffly as he could muster.

The dog demon had always felt the little whelp was somewhat spoiled by the miko and so he tried hard to balance out her sweetness with a little tough love whenever possible. Still, he could not blame the kid for worrying. He would have, too.

Golden eyes scanned the village a few more times before settling back on the fox child appraisingly. "…Did you have any trouble while we were out?"

Shippo shook his coppery head as he slipped out of Kagome's grasp to address him properly. "…Not a thing…The village hasn't been attacked since you left. I left some of Miroku's wards around for good measure but I haven't even caught a whiff of them."

The hanyou nodded with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. "Well, don't take it easy just yet. You never know what might happen."

The fox youkai nodded and forced his smile down. In Inu Yasha's backwards way, he had just been handed a small compliment. The half demon had quietly acknowledged that the boy had worked hard. It was his way of saying "Well done."

A strangled cry from one of the women caught everyone's attention. They all stared as a woman bolted from the rest of the group towards town. A sobbing little girl was running towards her from the village. Seconds later the woman had scooped the child up into her arms and peppered her face with kisses.

Shippo breathed a sigh of relief, "Ah, Kiyo's mom. I'm glad she made it out okay… she was really worried about her. I told the kids to wait for the all-clear whistle, though…"

The intimate moment was all it took for other Edo women to break from the group and dash towards their homes. It was a mad race of mothers looking for their children. Sango held back. Part of her wondered if she even deserved to come home without her daughters. As if reading her mind, Miroku took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. Shippo looked back at the couple, then towards the emerging children. Apparently, two children had, in fact, listened. He grinned and pressed two fingers to his lips and whistled.

A young boy emerged from one of the huts just then, hefting a little girl in his arms. The demons could see he was trying to hurry as carefully as he could with the toddler in tow. Sango quickly spotted the two figures and bolted for them.

"Haruto! Akahanna!" She exclaimed as she rushed up to them and captured them in a fierce embrace.

Haruto snuggled into his mothers embrace and sniffled softly into her shoulder while Akahanna made a face and squirmed; sandwiched between the two and none too happy about it. Shippo knew the boy had put up a brave front for his baby sister; always very quiet and stoic. It was a relief to see the mental barriers he had put up to protect what had been left of his family fall in his mother's presence. Miroku was only steps behind her, one hand on his wife's shoulder, the other ruffling his son's hair.

Inu Yasha's acute sense of hearing picked up on Haruto's voice, despite trying to ignore it so they could have their private family moment in peace, "Where's Yuri and Kimi?"

Kagome saw he husband blanch and looked in the direction he did. When she saw the somber looks on her friends' faces she knew what had happened.

"I should have known better. If we hadn't gone off to check on the village…"

The miko's dark eyes settled on her husband as he spoke. His gaze practically burned a hole into the ground near his feet; his hands balled into tight fists.

"Oi, how the hell were you supposed to know this was 'gonna happen?" Shippo snorted indignantly, his arms crossed over his chest. Kagome could not help but notice he sported a very Inu Yasha-like pose at the moment.

The dog demon shot the boy a glare, some self-depreciating retort already beginning to form on his lips until Kagome piped up.

"He's right. How could we have known it was a set-up?"

"I-I don't know!" Frustrated, the hanyou raked a claw through his silver-white hair. "We should have stayed behind. We could have stopped this from happening!"

"…and ignored a defenseless village?" She added; her voice rose in volume to match his. "If there had been anyone there to save it would have been worth it but we just didn't know."

"Yuriko and Kimiko should be with their family, Kagome! They should be _safe_." He emphasized his point by jerking a claw in the direction of their huddled friends.

"I know and I understand but it doesn't change what happened. We can't go back and change things now. I wish we could… but… at least, there's something we can do _now_."

Shippo looked between the two of them, completely lost. "Um… I think I missed something here. You couldn't find Yuriko and Kimiko?"

Growing more furious by the second the hanyou snapped out, "The little bastard that caused all this to happen is "interested" in Kagome. He wants to _talk_ to her."

The kitsune scratched the back of his head, not quite sure what his statement meant but also aware he was in dangerous territory with the volatile half demon, "…So?"

"So? What do you mean "so"? It's obviously some sort of trap to snatch her away!"

"Now wait just a second we don't know if it's a trap!" Kagome shouted back, shifting into a stance that implied she was readying a 'sit'. Shippo took a step away from Inu Yasha in response.

A polite cough from behind caused them to turn their attention to the sound, evidently from Miroku standing just a few steps away.

"Let's not argue about this here in front of the entire village… Everyone's tired and edgy and you're starting to make a scene." He motioned towards a small crowd of onlookers casting worried looks in their direction before continuing. "Lady Kagome, with Lady Kaede…" The monk hesitated a moment "…gone... Edo will need another miko to lead the village. Someone needs to explain to the villagers what has happened and about our new guests."

Kagome sighed; then took several deep, calming breaths to regain her composure. Miroku was right. The discussion would have to wait for the moment. The villagers needed someone to guide them and ease their minds and the women from the other attacked villages had to be dealt with as well.

"He's right," She said it mostly to Inu Yasha, eyeing him carefully, "Let me see to everyone and then we'll all sit down and talk about this. Shippo, Miroku, gather everyone at the shrine."

They nodded an affirmative and trotted off in opposite directions. The miko sighed again and looked down at her feet. Were it not for his great hearing he might have missed her whispered request.

"Will you… stand up there with me? I know you don't like the attention but… I'm not sure I'll be able to look as calm as Kaede without you there…"

His indignation was quickly pushed aside. In that moment he realized she had been shouldered with a heavy burden he had never wished upon her: She had a village to see to. He could stay back and guard her from afar, like he had with Kikyo, or he could man-up and stand with her and openly support her.

This time, the decision came easy. In a swift move he wrapped her up in a tight bear-hug and kissed the side of her head. "Idiot, you didn't need to ask. Of course I'll stand with you."

She was initially surprised by his sudden embrace, and it took her a few more seconds to realize he had agreed to stand with her. When his words finally fell into place in her head she smiled and buried her face in warm spot between his neck and shoulder. She could hear his voice rumbling in his chest when he added, "Just don't expect me to give any fancy speeches. That ain't my thing."

Her soft laugh came out muffled through the folds of his haori, "I won't. I promise."

*


	14. The Rules of the Game

**Hello guys I'm back again! I'll be honest; I've had quite a fit of writers' block lately with this particular story. I knew where I wanted the plot to go but I was concerned about the pacing. I think I've got a handle on it now, thank goodness. **

**Author's Note: 'Cliff' very helpfully informed me that Koga is seen getting married to Ayame in the last episode of Inu Yasha: The Final Act. So, I think I will go ahead and try to squeeze her into the story at some point. I'd lost track of watching the Final Act for a while so I'm glad someone mentioned to me what happened at the end. So, thank you for the info, Cliff! It was quite helpful! **

The sun was just beginning to set when the gang reconvened at Kagome and Inu Yasha's house. Kagome really did not want to discuss Noboru so soon. She was utterly exhausted from the events of that afternoon.

At the shrine earlier that day she had explained to the gathered villagers and rescued women as much as she could about what had happened during the liberation but wisely left their little encounter with Noboru out of it. The miko then asked for more volunteers for patrols to keep watch in case of another attack. When several people announced that they would volunteer she instructed them to talk to Miroku and Inu Yasha about setting up time tables for guard duty. After that she had asked for volunteers to house the other displaced women. She was surprised to find that most of the people of Edo were more than willing to open their homes to them. Finally, she pulled Shoko aside to explain what was left of the two villages she and the gang had visited. The miko asked the priestess to wait a day before telling the other women of those villages what had happened. In that way they could have some time to think about the gentlest way to explain the situation and it gave the villagers some time to adjust to their guests; some of which could potentially become permanent residents under the circumstances.

Now they were back at home after everything had been said and done and all Kagome wanted was to flop down onto a futon and fall asleep. Unfortunately, Inu Yasha had other plans. He was the one who had insisted that they get this conversation over with as soon as Kagome had finished speaking. The conversation wasn't going well.

"I think we need to hear Noboru out." Kagome rubbed the bridge of her nose and tried to ignore her husband's rising ire.

"Lady Kagome is right, Inu Yasha. I don't see the harm in her doing so. He never said we could not be there to watch over her." Miroku added as he stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Sango had been quiet throughout the evening but finally broke her silence just then. "We don't know what he's got planned and as I told you before, he's very fast. Whatever poisoned dart he used to knock me out did so in seconds. I'm not sure what it would do to a hanyou and Inu Yasha's the fastest one here."

Inu Yasha nodded his head in agreement.

Miroku sensed another 'what if' moment coming from his wife and wasn't disappointed when she added, "What if we attack Noboru and it just makes him more angry?"

"Who said we had to attack?" Kagome argued. "We just want to hear him out…when everything went dark inside the cave; didn't Noboru have a chance to attack us then, too?"

"Yeah but he wants something out of you, Kagome." Inu Yasha grunted, his arms crossed over his chest, eyes closed in thought.

"Yes, but, couldn't he have taken her while we were in the cave?" Sango tapped her chin absently, she really wanted to go back home and spend more time with her children.

"Well I don't like it, it all screams of a trap. Remember, this guy is related to Naraku!"

"Yes, but if he said he was being held by Naraku. What if he simply wants to get revenge on him by using Kagome for something? It's not like any of us would mind taking down any lingering minions of his down a few notches, no?" The monk replied.

"Besides that, what if we don't talk to him?" Kagome had been silent for a few minutes at that point, processing the words that were being passed around. "If we don't talk to him at all, then who else might give us leads on Yuriko and Kimiko? He's obviously good at covering his tracks… think about the other villages. How many witnesses survived? Just two?"

"That's exactly what I mean!" The dog demon exploded, "This guy as far as we know it is _brutal_. I'm not gonna sit around like an idiot and let you walk right into a trap!"

Sango bit her lip and looked towards the sliding doors. Growing up with hunters had proven to her how badly hostage situations went when it came to youkai. Normally, more people ended up dead and the hostages would have been already eaten. The huntress in her could not permit her friend and ally to simply walk into such an obvious trap, yet the mother in her still clung to the strongest hope she had of finding her children alive and well. When she felt Kagome's eyes on her she gave a sigh, took a deep breath and spoke.

"I leave this decision to you, Kagome. I cannot ask you to help us, knowing the risks. I would understand, and forgive you, if you would not go, but I can't say that I do not wish you would."

That was enough for Kagome to make the decision right there and then. She smiled a little and reached over to give her friend's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'll do it. Besides, if we'll all be there together then Noboru really can't do much, can he?"

Inu Yasha gave a disgruntled snort but made no further comments. He knew his mate would ultimately decide to risk a trap for the chance to help her friends. Sometimes, she was too damn selfless for his own sanity's sake.

Miroku leaned forward to steeple his fingers together, "All right then. So what's the plan?"

In the early morning hours, barely a day after their return to Edo, Kagome slid open the front door to her house with her bathing bucket tucked securely under one arm. The moment her foot stepped off the front porch she nearly tripped over a bamboo sapling. Instead she awkwardly stumbled forward until she managed to find her balance once more. She turned to glare at the offending plant as if it cared. Her features blossomed into a look of confusion as she realized that there was no reason for bamboo to have grown there. The dirt too dry and too heavily tread upon for the plant to have managed to survive. Stranger still, it dawned upon her that she had not tripped over the thing the day earlier. It had to have grown up literally overnight; otherwise she would have tripped over it sooner. Frowning, the miko bent down to inspect the offending bamboo shoot more closely.

To her utter shock the side of the bamboo appeared to have Japanese carved on it. Then after a second look she realized it appeared to have _grown_ on the shoot itself. The sentence read: _I'll be waiting for you in the glade west of here at mid day in three days – Noboru_. With a start she scrambled back into the house, calling Inu Yasha's name.

Three days later, as instructed, Kagome found herself standing between her husband and Sango in the aforementioned forest clearing. She shuffled her sandaled feet as she waited for the strange "youkai" to appear. She tried to quell the anxious feeling in her gut when Noboru finally emerged from the forest on the opposite end from where they stood. He smiled at them in a way that seemed almost benevolent; it made the girl's skin crawl.

The expression quickly changed to child-like glee, "You came! I knew you were smarter than what little credit the flesh gave you."

The miko shrugged casually, "You're quite observant, Naraku was a fool."

She and her friends had decided a few nights ago that the best approach to take would be to flatter the man, yet maintain an air of confidence around him. From what little they knew of him they were all fairly certain he was not one to appreciate weakness. Still, Kagome had hoped that by bringing Sango along she might be able to appeal to some emotional side of the kidnapper that might help them in negotiating their return. Meanwhile, Miroku, Kohaku, Shippo, and Kirara hid out in the surrounding woods; in case Noboru's meeting did turn out to be a trap.

Noboru seemed to appreciate Kagome's words and his smile broadened. "Ah! I just knew you would understand." He looked terribly young when he smiled, so much like a child, yet Inu Yasha could sense that the man was quite dangerous. Just then Noboru clapped his hands together, "All right then let us get on to business… I would like to get this whole nasty oath thing out of the way quickly, I hope you understand."

The miko did not have a clue, but she nodded in feigned understanding. If she pretended to know a great deal about the stranger then he might be more willing to bargain. Her status as a great a powerful miko was often helpful in such situations.

"Well then," He began, "I believe I already told you what I wanted: I would like to learn more about you. I'd like to visit on occasion and have a nice little chat with you."

Kagome crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him, mimicking something she'd seen Inu Yasha do on a number of occasions. "You say 'chat' but I know, as well as you, that word could easily be replaced for the word 'ambush' or 'attack' so, do you really mean to talk with me civilly? I won't agree to anything less than peaceful."

"Oh but you are so clever!" Noboru gushed happily, "No, no, you're correct. I promise to do nothing but talk with you during our meetings."

"What of your allies?" Kagome interjected, "You may promise to be peaceful but that wouldn't bind your friends from attacking my friends, family, and village."

Here Noboru nodded agreeably, "I would have lost so much faith in you had you not been so sharp. No, my minions will not be allowed to touch your village while we are speaking; neither before, nor after."

"That doesn't prevent you from attacking at any other point in time…" Sango muttered.

Noboru raised an eyebrow at the woman and smiled sweetly, "That is correct, but I must have insurance, too you know. If I feel threatened then I have a right to lay waste to my enemies."

"So I can't ask you to leave our village alone entirely?" Kagome queried.

"No, my dear lady, I am sorry. I cannot allow that." His smile seemed genuinely sad.

The miko was convinced that was the best assurance of safety she could get out of the man, so she moved on to her next line of questioning, "So, as long as I speak with you on occasion you will give me clues to the location of the women and my friend's children?"

The flaxen-haired man nodded vigorously, "Yes, my lady. Of course, I get to pick the date. Additionally, I will always let you know at what time I shall speak with you again, provided you have answered my questions to my satisfaction—and truthfully, I might add."

Kagome resisted the urge to worry her lower lip. She knew she was taking a risk, but it seemed like the best way to get him to return more quickly. "That seems almost reasonable, however, I propose this: I will answer one question about myself truthfully and in return you will answer one question about yourself. I want an equal exchange of information."

Noboru's red eyes widened for a moment, his surprise unmasked. Apparently, he had not given the miko enough credit for her intelligence. Yet another smile spread across his lips and he thought to himself: She truly is something special. "I'll agree to this under one condition: The question you and I ask must be specific. It'd be such a shame lay out all of my plans bare before you. It would be much more fun to watch you discover more on your own."

"Is this information in addition to the clue you will give her for playing this little game?" Kagome heard Sango ask beside her.

Noboru tapped a finger to his chin thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded, "Since you have been such good sports I think I'll give you that. You'll get one clue for one exchange of information."

"What assurance do we have of the safety of Sango's children?"

"You have my oath that they will not be harmed, nor altered, nor touched by time until you find and release them. That is all."

She and Sango exchanged a look about the last part of Noboru's promises. She wondered if she should ask and risk sounding ignorant in front of the man holding Sango's girl's hostage. Eventually, her concern won out and she opened her mouth to ask the question only to have Noboru shut her down.

"I won't answer any more questions. I fear you've gotten more out of me than I had intended to give. I suppose that must be the magic of your charm." The man gave a wistful sigh. "None the less, I'm done answering questions. Will you agree to the terms of our oath, Lady Kagome?"

The miko glanced at her husband and Sango for help. The huntress gave a nod of approval while the dog demon huffed and shook his head. He had been against any agreements with Noboru from the get-go. Kagome gave him an apologetic look before turning back to the blonde. "Very well, I accept these terms."

Noboru was all smiles as he bowed respectfully to her, "Excellent, thus shall I be bound to this oath."

This time when the red light came from the man's forehead Kagome and company were ready to shield their eyes. As soon as the light vanished the miko pulled down her arm only to discover that Noboru was gone. A familiar shaft of bamboo grew in the place where he had stood moments before. Kohaku, who had been hiding a few yards away, was already there with sickle in hand. He bent down to study the 'note' left behind while the rest of the gang gathered around.

He answered everyone's unspoken question, "It says that he'll meet us back here in thirty years."

"Thirty years?" Sango gasped. "We'll be in our fifties before we get our first note!"

Inu Yasha growled behind her, "I guess we know why that bastard mentioned they wouldn't be 'touched by time'…"

"But I thought the only way a human could stay young that long was if they were bound to a youkai…" Shippo piped up.

"That would cause them to be altered, though wouldn't it?" Miroku broke in, "Didn't Noboru also say they wouldn't be altered?"

Kagome pinched the bridge of her nose in thought, "But then… how does he plan on keeping them young?"

Inu Yasha shrugged. He'd never heard of such a thing in all of his wanderings. There was a long moment of silence as everyone became lost in thought.

Miroku was the one to finally break the quiet, "Well then, we'll just have to find a way to stay young."


	15. Timeless

***Does a little happy dance!* Splendent Goddess, you nailed it on the head! I love your reviews. They always make me so very giddy. I also figured that Kagome and Sango couldn't think of everything because, heck, they're human. They'd also be under a lot of stress from the attack and subsequent running around, too. **

**Hinduism/Buddhism Note: As some of you may know, Hinduism pre-dates Buddhism. I wasn't able to determine if anyone in Japan would have known of Buddhism's roots in Hinduism… so I assumed that they wouldn't know that during the Sengoku Period. So that's why Kohaku says that Maro Kandei claimed that his religion is older. When I was considering a religious alternative to immortality for Miroku I went with Hinduism because Buddhism doesn't really allow for a permanent state like that. With that in mind my immortality idea is loosely based on some of the stories surrounding the Hindu sage Markandeya. Hence, the similar name. Also, Sanskrit appears in Buddhism, too. So I'm also making the assumption that at least Miroku can read it. **

**Author's Question (If anyone knows about this, this is rather obscure): Also, if Buddhists at any time period would have known about Hinduism, please let me know how and why they would know about it! I don't know if Hinduism is linked to Buddhism the way Judaism is linked to Christianity, and if it is like that then that would slightly alter the way this chapter is written. For example, in most situations Christians generally know that Judaism pre-dates Christianity. They may not follow the same customs and diverge after the Old Testament teachings but they're **_**generally**__**aware**_** of its roots in Judaism. I mean, there aren't many Christian Bibles written that don't include both the Old and New Testaments. So it'd be rather impossible for them not to know about it. I'm not sure if the same thing applies to Buddhists and Hindus. Would a Buddhist naturally be aware of Hinduism or could it be feasibly taught entirely separate from it? I know Kagome would likely be aware of it, but would the Sengoku Period people know about it? **

Following the meeting with Noboru, Miroku had spent the next several days locked away in his room. He poured over each Buddhist scroll and text he owned looking for any clue that might keep he and his family young while they waited for their first clue. Inu Yasha could not bind anyone else to his youkai blood like Kagome. When the miko had become his life-mate she had become his family so that only those of their bloodline could ever share in their eternal youthfulness. The next logical choice from there had been Shippo. Unfortunately, kitsune aged differently from youkai. Their age progressed based on experience learned rather than any specific length of time. He was barely thirteen years old physically. Essentially, Shippo was not "mature" enough to create a life-bond with another human. Even Shippo was not sure exactly when he would reach the right age to perform the rite—it could be hundreds of years. No one bothered considering Sesshoumaru as a candidate and recently the gang had also learned that Kouga would never be an option, either. Word had been sent that he had recently married a youkai named Ayame.

That was when Miroku had decided to shutter himself up in his room with his texts. Not long after Kagome had disappeared into Kaede's hut to check the late miko's Shinto scripts. Meanwhile, Inu Yasha, and Shippo went about town asking the locals for any legends involving ageless persons. Kohaku disappeared a few days later after telling Sango he was going to check out some leads in other towns.

Eventually, Kagome emerged and announced that the Shinto scripts emphasized an immortal soul but no examples of an immortal body. A few days after that a dejected Miroku reappeared from his studies and told the gang that Buddhism taught that life could not be extended beyond that which his karmic deeds allowed. It was unlikely that his karma would last any longer than any normal person because his karma may have been what had kept him from being sucked into his air rip years ago. Extended life-span or no; Buddhism did not account for extended youthfulness—and Miroku's family needed both.

Inu Yasha and Shippo struck out quickly as well. There was a legend among the locals of an elixir of life that had been given to an Emperor. However, the story said that the Emperor had tossed the potion into a volcano where it had burned up. The person who had made the potion brought it from the moon, so there was no way to reproduce it either.

Miroku then decided to go on a trip to seek the advice of his grandfather Mushin. The elder monk likely had far more information than he did, he reasoned, even if it was a long shot. It was then, just as Miroku was getting ready to leave, that Kohaku returned to Edo.

The man waltzed into town with a smirk on his face and a scroll in his hand. Haruto caught up with the man first and pounced on him. He switched the scroll to his other hand and scooped the boy up onto his hip.

"Uncle, you're back! Did you catch lots'a bad guys?" He chirped excitedly.

Kohaku marveled at the inner durability of children. It had been nearly a month since Edo had been attacked and his sisters were snatched away, yet he found the boy smiling and eager to hear from him.

"Not, this time, Haruto. This time I was out helping your mommy and daddy look for this special scroll…do you know where they are right now?"

The little boy bobbed his head excitedly and wriggled to indicate he wanted to be let down. His uncle complied and the child dashed off in the direction of their family home. Kohaku trailed behind, his eyes noting the houses near by sporting fresh wooden doors, thatching, and various other architectural elements rebuilt after the attack. He had a feeling Inu Yasha and Shippo had contributed greatly to the town's quick turn around.

"Oi kid, welcome back." A gruff voice called out behind him.

_Speak of the devil_. Kohaku thought as he grinned and turned towards the hanyou. He wondered if Inu Yasha would ever see him as anything but the kid he once was.

"Thanks, old man." Kohaku smirked when the dog demon wrinkled his nose and scowled; his pointed teeth flashed in the sunlight momentarily.

Just then Sango appeared with Akahanna in tow. The toddler held two of her mother's fingers in one fist as she bobbed alongside her. Her other hand was lodged in her mouth, sucking on her thumb. On her right, Haruto released the yukata sleeve he had been tugging on to get his mother to move along so that he could bounce back over to Kohaku. His uncle turned his attention towards Sango and when she was a few feet away he tossed the scroll at her. Her hands blurred to intercept the object, catching it as easily as she would a throwing star, meanwhile her face remained completely serene. Kohaku was glad to observe that domestic life had not dulled her hunters' skills.

"This is what you were looking for?" She asked, turning the scroll in her hand this way and that.

"Yeah, I think Miroku will be interested in this." The hunter replied.

Sango nodded and turned back towards her home, "I see. Will you come inside for some tea?" She glanced at the white-haired hanyou for a moment before adding, "Should Kagome and Inu Yasha join us?"

Kohaku smiled, "Yes, I think that would be a good idea."

Moments later the gang sat around a small table in their living area, sans Shippo. The kitsune had graciously offered to play with the children while the grown-ups dealt with more serious matters. Kagome and Miroku sat side by side at the far end of the table peering at the unrolled scroll before them.

"I should have brushed up on my classical Sanskrit reading before I left the modern age…" The miko grumbled sarcastically to no one in particular.

"That's okay I can read it just fine." Miroku waved a hand at her dismissively. "Just give me a minute or two."

Inu Yasha turned his golden eyes on the young hunter, barely contained boredom creeping into his features, "So, kid, what's the deal with the scroll?"

Kohaku scratched the back of his head absently as he spoke, "Well, I was fairly certain that Miroku wouldn't turn up any information about immortality in Buddhist scripts. Permanence of any form isn't exactly a core tenet of their teachings… but I had heard rumors of one priest who claimed to have learned of a way to eternal youth through different scriptures. His name was Maro Kandei. He was a practitioner of a religion that he claimed pre-dated Buddhism.

I figured the man Maro Kandei was likely a youkai posing as a deity under a false religion but I decided to check it out anyway. I mean, if he was a demon then I'd probably be doing his town a lot of good to get rid of him. So I started asking around and eventually some townspeople showed me where he lived.

I worked out that this man wasn't a youkai pretty quickly. He wasn't home at the time and so I went back into town only to find Kandei exorcising a local shrine. After he was finished I spoke to him and he invited me back to his home. There I was able to explain the situation. After I had finished speaking he told me that he believed my intentions were pure and he gave me that scroll. He told me to give it to a Buddhist monk and that he would be able to understand it. So, that's what I did." Kohaku leaned back in his seat and took a sip from the cup of tea that he had been holding before adding, "I don't get the feeling that Kandei was lying."

"He wasn't." Miroku's hoarse voice brought all eyes back on him.

"I thought it was just a story at first… but there's a line that keeps coming up in the story… I think it's a sutra. Yes! That's it!" Miroku suddenly leapt to his feet and dashed into another room. Everyone could hear things being moved about in the other room then a pause as Miroku wandered back into the living area, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Heh, sorry about that… I didn't mean to leave you all hanging." The monk added as he returned to his seat.

"What is it, Miroku? What did you find?" Kagome blurted out, wide-eyed.

The monk leaned forward, pressing his elbows to the table as he beckoned them all closer conspiratorially. "What I am about to tell you never leaves this room, understand?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good." He sucked in a deep breath before beginning, "This scroll isn't a story at all… it's directions to make a powerful talisman. When it's combined with this sutra...." He used his index finger to tap at a line of words no one could make out "…It creates a holy object called the Sage's Blessing."

Inu Yasha was eager to get to the point of the monk's fussing, "So what does that do?"

Miroku's dark blue eyes lit up with excitement, "This Blessing allows the wearer to learn for one thousand years. The wearer's body remains the same age that the person was when he first began wearing it so that the mind need not waste those years on the pain of illness and age."

Sango gasped and reached out to grip her husband's hand, "That's wonderful! How do we make it?"

The monk squeezed his wife's fingers affectionately before turning his eyes towards Kagome, "It'll take some time, and I'll need your help, Kagome. Will you help us?"

The miko smiled gently, "Did you really need to ask? Of course I will."

"Thank you so much, Kagome, you don't know how much this means to us…" Miroku was amazed once again by the miko's amazing capacity to care, though he should have known better by now. His gaze turned serious as he straightened up in his seat. "Right then, let's get started."


	16. The Sage's Blessing

**Shameless plug: I'm a beta on Fan Fiction for a wonderful writer called BreakAnotha. She's writing a nifty version of Battle Royale that I think anyone could enjoy reading. So, if you're interested I highly recommend checking it out and sending her some review love.**

**Note: Just to make sure everyone's up to speed, the date of this chapter is 1569. I had intended to summarize the next 30 years in this chapter as well but the summary had to cover so many people and events that I had to put it in a new chapter. It just didn't fit. I apologize for that. I promise the next chapter will be much longer and more involved!**

The residents of Edo had never seen their resident miko look quite so imposing as they had that fine sunny day. The chaos ensued so suddenly no one was quite sure when it had started. One minute Kagome and Miroku were out in the center of town speaking with Inu Yasha and in the next a sharp, authoritative bark issued from the miko. A single word sent the mighty hanyou crashing to the dirt. In that instant the miko, like a red and white avenging angel leapt upon the twitching dog demon and straddled his chest. From her yukata sleeve she produced a wicked-looking pair of tongs she had borrowed from the local blacksmith. She then proceeded to bear down on the face of Inu Yasha while he growled and barked and swished his head from side to side.

"Damn it Kagome I said I would give it to you!" He howled as the girl struggled above him.

"It's been three hours! You're taking too long now SIT STILL!" She bellowed back, completely ignorant to the crowd that had begun to gather around them.

The subjugation beads did the trick as the hanyou's body shuddered from the impact of the command. Seizing the opportunity the miko bent over her stunned husband. There was a loud crack, a yelp of pain, and followed quickly thereafter by a triumphant shout from Kagome. She grasped her prize in one hand as she scrambled up from her perch. She admired the fang tooth in her hand for a few minutes and quipped casually.

"See? That wasn't so bad."

"Easy for you to say…" Inu Yasha grumbled as he rolled onto his stomach, willing the subjugation to wear off a little faster so he could get back up into a sitting position.

"Sorry…"

Kagome's dark eyes flicked over to him and he squirmed at the remorse he could see in them. He knew Miroku needed one of his teeth but it just hurt so damned much! Eventually Sango had been forced to sic his wife on him in order to pry the fang from his mouth. He sighed and shook his head, knowing that he would have put it off for longer had she not been sent out after him.

"Feh, don't get all worked up about it. I was gonna do it…"

"Kagome!"

Inu Yasha's pointed ears swiveled in the direction of Shippo's voice. Moments later the kitsune, bearing the appearance of a human boy with ginger hair, shoved his way through the crowd of people. He stopped beside Kagome and pressed his hands to his knees in order to catch his breath. The dog demon tensed for a moment, concerned that the boy had come running with some sort of bad news, but stilled when he realized he could not smell any fear off of him.

The miko smiled and handed the tooth to the child, "See? I got it! There's nothing to worry about."

The kitsune inspected the fang for a second and then suddenly burst into nervous laughter. "Oh shit, I guess I was too late."

Inu Yasha raised an eyebrow, having just eased back onto his feet moments earlier, "Too late for what?"

"Eh heh…" Shippo giggled again, shifting slightly closer to Kagome, _now_ he was starting to smell like fear, "You see… uh… Miroku just realized that we uh… we can't…ah… use Inu Yasha's teeth."

"What?" The dog demon was upon him in a heartbeat, his fist curled into the folds of the kit's yukata. "Why the fuck did he get Kagome to pull one of my teeth if he didn't need it?"

Shippo whined piteously and wriggled in his grasp, "Ah c'mon Inu Yasha, lemmie go! It wasn't my fault he realized the sutra required the tooth of a different being."

Kagome reached out to press a restraining hand on her husband's shoulder, "What kind of a being?"

Shippo realized that Inu Yasha was not going to let him go any time soon so he huffed and went lax in his grip and dangled in his clothes. The miko had a way of taking all the fight out of him anyway, "A youkai that walks between the realms of demons and deities."

Kagome tilted her head to one side. "What on earth does that mean?"

"Beats me." The kitsune responded; he wiggled in a way that, had he been on the ground, might have been a shrug.

The spike of scent that suddenly emitted from the small boy seemed to indicate otherwise. It made the hanyou smile evilly; the boy reeked of fear. It could only mean one thing…

"He's lying." Inu Yasha grunted, narrowing his golden gaze on his prey.

Shippo's face went pale; his green eyes grew as large as saucers as he began to babble a long string of nigh-incomprehensible denials. Still, the fear remained and it only made his captor smile more as he put two and two together.

"…Oh, I'm mistaken am I?" He replied, raising the kid so that he was face to face with him, "Then let me ask you something. Kitsune are youkai, right?"

"Y-yeah…" Shippo shivered under his amused gaze.

"Yet, they can also choose to serve the Kami Inari, right?"

"I-I might have heard that somewhere… yeah…"

"So that means…" Kagome began.

"…We can use your teeth." Inu Yasha finished with a smirk. "If I'm going to guess anything I'd say you've known for a little while now… you haven't told Miroku yet, have you?"

The boy shook his head no, he looked ready to faint. The hanyou cackled and cracked the knuckles of his free hand.

"Well it's about time you contributed to the gang."

A few minutes later Miroku was startled out of his afternoon nap by the clamor of youkai outside his front door. He stumbled out of his house, staff in hand, only to find Inu Yasha grinning wickedly while Kagome tended to a sniffling Shippo. The hanyou quickly deposited two short fang teeth into the befuddled priest's palm.

"The little brat brought you a present, houshi."

Shippo hiccupped and rubbed at eyes that stung with tears, "I was gonna tell him!"

The miko gave Miroku an apologetic look as she spoke, "It seems that Shippo figured out what kind of youkai tooth you'd need to make those talisman… and, well, he didn't get to Inu Yasha in time to mention it…"

"More like he waited until you sat me and took one of my teeth before mentioning it…" The hanyou grumbled.

The Buddhist monk scratched the back of his head; then it seemed to dawn on him. "Oh… kitsune… I see now…"

"So, can you make it work, houshi?"

"I think so…" Miroku replied, then glanced in Kagome's direction, "Kagome, I'll need your help purifying these teeth, would you mind giving me a hand?"

She stood up from where she had been kneeling next to Shippo and dusted off her robes. "Sure thing."

Arts and crafts had never been one of Kagome's strong suits and the creation of the Sage's Blessing talisman required a good deal of skill. Fortunately, Shippo turned out to be quite the master craftsman. He managed to manipulate both teeth into the shape of the immortal serpent Ananta, as indicated in the texts Miroku translated. Kagome then purified both teeth. In the center of the rounded teeth was placed a hollowed out piece of wood shaped into an egg and then lacquered. Within the egg held a tightly folded sutra of Markandeya written by Miroku. Again, Kagome purified the object. Sango then provided two sets of braided silk thongs so that the talisman could be worn as a pendant about the neck. Finally, husband and wife both donned their respective talisman and Kagome blessed them once more.

When it was finished the miko stepped back and almost immediately felt a difference in them. "Your auras… they're different now." She spoke in an astonished whisper.

Miroku grinned, "You felt that too? Good. Hopefully that means it worked…"


	17. Thirty Years of Waiting

**Author's Note: I'm pretty happy about this chapter here. I got to geek out on history a little bit so it was a lot of fun for me. Hope you guys enjoy it. Don't forget to review!**

Thirty years of waiting… 1569-1599.

The only thing left to do was wait. If the talisman worked the gang agreed that Miroku's children would be allowed to choose to wear their own talisman when they were of the appropriate age to accept them. After ten years it became apparent that Sango and Miroku, each only a few years shy of hitting their forties, were not aging a bit. Neither one had acquired so much as a gray hair while their children continued to grow up. In the meantime Kohaku had been given his own talisman several years before as soon as Shippo had been able to grow back his fang teeth.

In so many years Shippo's efforts in working with the talisman and his increasingly rare educational outings with the elusive forest kitsune had manifested in only the slightest increase in his physical age. The kitsune had grown enough inches to be the same height as his beloved Kagome. He had lost the rest of his baby fat and had grown into a good deal of muscle to the point where his build bore an uncanny resemblance to Inu Yasha's. The young man hadn't quite gotten there yet, though; he still appeared to be made of more bone than muscle—if only just slightly.

Shippo's abilities had grown as well. He could maintain a human appearance without the aid of a leaf for an entire day. Foxfire magic could do real damage if he concentrated hard enough but only worked against ghosts in the exorcism trips he often took with Miroku. Even then, utilizing offensive magic was quite draining on him so he only used it in emergencies and could not sustain any attack for more than a few seconds. His abilities also extended into a new realm: crafting. Ever since he had helped make the Sage's Blessing, Shippo had grown interested in making new magic toys.

He had a tendency towards traps—mostly to annoy the hell out of Inu Yasha. Initially, the traps started as bigger and more elaborate sink holes. It only took the hanyou a year to catch on, however, and thus began taking to the trees for his daily patrols of Edo. That, of course, encouraged the kitsune to plant traps in the trees next. Sometimes it was a hidden cut on a branch that fell away the moment Inu Yasha set foot on it; other times he hid spinning tops in knotholes that exploded to life the moment someone got close, usually startling said person from his perch.

However, Shippo had been forced to quit making that type of trap for a time when a village boy was injured when he had climbed a tree to take a look at a bird's nest and it had turned out instead to be a nest of tops. The child had been so surprised he had fallen from the branch he had been holding onto and had broken an arm. The kitsune had been heartbroken over the accident for several months until Kagome suggested that he try to create traps that only reacted to demons.

The novel idea became Shippo's obsession for the next twenty years. After ten years of trial and error he had created magic toys that would respond to long-distance commands from anywhere in the village but could only be activated by him. Still, he could not create a toy that would remain dormant near humans. It mattered not if the being setting it off was a demon or a human. Miroku had come to the rescue in the end by suggesting the addition of one of his protection sutras to the toys. Sutras were created with the protection of humans in mind, so it seemed possible that the effect might work on his tops.

The first test was conducted with the aid of Kohaku in an open field near the village. He played the role of the human test subject while Inu Yasha reluctantly stepped in for his demonic role. Kohaku approached the top cautiously. When nothing happened, he stepped in closer; and then closer still. Finally, he gathered the courage to pick it up. Everyone held their breath. If the trap couldn't handle a little jostling by a human, particularly a careless child, then they would have to try again. Again, the top remained as it was. After a while the hunter tossed the object from one hand to the other a few times, shrugged, and set it back down.

At the time, Shippo had worried that perhaps his top was not functional at all… until Inu Yasha stormed over to claim just such a thing—at which point it promptly ballooned to ridiculous proportions and slammed down onto his skull with a frightening 'whirr!' Shippo and Miroku had celebrated that night while Kagome had been left to deal with her abused and fuming husband.

From that time on Miroku and Shippo worked together to perfect his traps. They quickly discovered that the paper sutras did not hold out against rain, thus Shippo eventually began carving the sacred texts into his wooden creations and then have Miroku bless them. Once they were sure the traps would not harm any humans Kohaku and Sango set about placing the devices in strategic locations all around Edo.

The traps had a positive effect on Edo. Youkai attacks on villagers dropped significantly. The feral demons were quickly spooked away by the simple devices while demons of higher intelligence were quickly identified and dealt with using the same technique; an intelligent demon's approach was quickly recognized by the amount of sequential traps set off. It was quite handy, and Edo flourished for it.

While Shippo's experiments helped shaped Edo's development, history would help shape the rest of the gang's development as well. In the summer of 1582 Akechi Mitsuhide, one of Oda Nobunaga's generals, attacked and killed him and his son. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a loyal daimyo to Nobunaga, ascertained what had happened before any of Nobunaga's rivals had found out about his death. In that crucial moment, he hunted down and killed Mitsuhide before any rivals could come to his aid. With Mitsuhide dead, the rivals had no one to quickly unify under and were quickly wiped out by Hideyoshi. By 1588 Hideyoshi had completely annihilated the competition and was in full control.

At that time, the change of power within the government did little, good or otherwise, for Edo's community, though Kagome knew it historically as the informal end to the Sengoku Period. The two years that followed would be slightly less simple. In 1590 Hideyoshi began a sword hunt. The "hunt" disallowed the ownership of weapons by anyone other than the samurai class and this in turn altered the lives of Inu Yasha's gang.

The hunt affected Sango and Miroku's family the most. Sango's clan might have been affiliated with the samurai class at one point but was lost when everybody was killed. Hence, Hiraikotsu had to be hidden away in the same way Miroku had been forced to hide his Buddhist robes years before. The huntress had to rely on weapons she could hide in her gauntlets; namely shuriken and throwing knives. Kohaku had Totosai make a smaller version of his sickles that looked like the ones farmers would carry about to skirt Hideyoshi's orders.

Before the sword hunt had occurred Akahanna and Haruto had been formally trained in the hunting arts by Sango and Kohaku. Additionally, Miroku had initially trained Haruto in the spells and skills of Buddhist trade. Unfortunately, Haruto turned out to be far more interested in learning the hunt with his mother and uncle than he had in succeeding his father. Sango had been quite upset when her son had not wanted to follow in the ways of his father, as her traditionalist culture encouraged. Miroku, on the other hand, had brushed off his wife's concern. The houshi was almost joyous knowing that his son did not have to be shackled to the burden of monkhood as he had been because of the air rip in his palm. For once, the male heir of his family would not be bound to his bloody legacy. From then on Haruto became an expert hunter and preferred the use of a spear in fights until the age of the sword hunt. At that point Miroku and Shippo helped him fashion a detachable top to the spearhead so that it would look exactly like the shakujou his father carried; who in their right minds would take a monk's staff, after all? During that time Haruto also accepted a newly forged Sage's Blessing talisman of his own.

While Haruto was busy learning from his mother and Kohaku, his sister Akahanna became avidly interested in learning about the Buddhist ways from their father. As a child, she had fallen in love with the intricate writing of her father's sutras. It had not been long before she began learning from him, though in the end she did not choose to carry a shakujou. As a demon hunter she preferred stealth; and a noisy staff offered little of that. Her weapons of choice eventually became ofuda and throwing knives; objects easily hidden during the sword hunt days.

Like her father, she was full of mischief and she quickly took to Shippo's company. The kitsune entertained her with foxfire magic when she was a child and as she grew up she lent a hand in helping him construct demonic traps. His leftover toys became her playthings and it wasn't long before she began using them in her hunts. Eventually she graduated to smoke bombs and other such tools that earned her the nickname of "Little Ninja" from friends and family. She, too, accepted a talisman at the same time as Haruto.

Meanwhile, Kagome and Inu Yasha faced a different series of challenges. Oddly, the sword hunt did not force Inu Yasha to give up or hide his weapon. He could, in fact carry it freely. Somehow, a highly-ranked member of the group tasked with sword removal had been notified that he came from nobility; hence he was allowed to carry. Kagome had a sneaking suspicion Sesshoumaru had something to do with it, even though they had not seen hide nor hair of him or any of his people since Rin had left years before.

They had no more trouble from Hideyoshi's people until a year later during the first-ever conducted census. Rumors of an immortal priestess with the surname of Higurashi surfaced around the Edo region and men were quickly deployed to check it out. Strangely, the moment the inquisitors set out for their journey from Kyoto to Edo a new story began to trickle in from local traders passing through that region. It was said that an ugly, toad-like man appeared at the house of the mysterious priestess and that the creature took away the woman's immortality because the gods had not wanted a powerful noble to take immortality for himself. By the time Hideyoshi's men arrived in Edo they could only find one priestess that went by the last name Higurashi; and she was quite clearly in her forties. When questioned directly, Shoko Higurashi laughed and proclaimed that the story was a silly legend from a time long past that had somehow been bound to the Higurashi family name. She also mentioned that the elderly were fond of telling grand stories of demons defending Edo's honor, too, and other such nonsense. The inquisitors left soon after and a new family name appeared on the census with the curious surname of Inushiro… which could, if one looked carefully, be broken into two words "Shiro" and "Inu" or "Dog, White." Of course, nobody bothered to notice that little detail… all except for one ugly toad-man; who carried the news back to his boss, Sesshoumaru.

By 1592 Hideyoshi's men had been recalled from their sword hunting duties to focus on the new war effort in Korea. Life resumed to as normal a pace as it could under the circumstances. For the first year of the war word filtered in from Kyoto that things were going well in Korea. Hideyoshi had taken over large portions of the country after it had grossly underestimated the preparedness of the invading army and navy. The victories were short lived, however, and things rapidly deteriorated as the years progressed. The Japanese were routed by the Chinese and Korean navies and cut off from many of their supplies as they pressed inland. Starvation, a lack of easily-accessible manpower and supplies eventually forced Hideyoshi to call for a retreat on his deathbed in 1598.

For thirty years Kagome (no longer a formal miko of Edo) and her friends had waited for Noboru's return. Finally, the bamboo message arrived, just as it had before; only this time it sprouted up outside the front of the new Inushiro residence. Again, the note identified a private location in the outskirts of the forest for them to meet and, as always, everyone was encouraged to join. This time, however, Miroku and Sango were able to join Kagome and Inu Yasha together. Their grown children stood guard around the perimeter of the forest along with Kohaku and Shippo.

Once again, Noboru appeared with no trouble and without setting off a single one of Shippo's traps. It confirmed to everyone that the person was not a demon, nor had he brought any demonic allies. When the blonde, looking no older than he had before, saw that Sango and Miroku were equally youthful he smiled and clapped his hands together excitedly.

"Oh! So you did find a way to stay young. My, you are so clever! How did you do it, Lady Kagome?"

It took some energy not to bite back that she was not the one responsible for it, instead she replied in a cool voice, "Is that the one question you wish to ask me?"

Noboru rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment before shaking his head. "No, not really, I'm more interested in learning your favorite food."

Inu Yasha couldn't contain his surprise, "What the hell? You want to know her favorite _food_?"

The blonde happily nodded. Kagome scratched her head for a moment. She had thought his question would be much like her own; information about the enemy. Apparently, that was not so.

"Ah… well… steamed vegetables and rice."

"Excellent, then that must mean you still eat food. Hmm… Good to know… Then, what would you like to know about me?" The man leaned forward expectantly, eliciting a possessive growl from Inu Yasha.

Composing herself, Kagome folded her hands and settled them in her lap. The gang had plenty of time to come up with a question and they had all agreed it would be best to find out as much as they could about him. "All right, I know you're not a demon and you can't be a human so… what are you, exactly?"

Noboru seemed to pout for a moment, "Aw, I thought you would have figured it out by now with my little messages. Ah well, I suppose if you were perfect all the time then I wouldn't love you nearly as much." He had to pause as yet another growl rumbled to life from the irritated half-demon. "Why, my lady, I am but a humble living tree."

"…A what?" Sango blurted without warning. Noboru ignored her and he refused to elaborate any further on the matter.

"You heard me. Anyway, as promised, I will now give you a hint to the location of your little ones. I suggest you take a trip south in thirty years to the onsen where you can view the sunset… I hear the Chanpon is quite famous there." The ruby-eyed man smiled and turned away back into the forest. The last thing they heard from him was, "This was fun! We'll have to do this again in sixty years."

Once again, the Noboru disappeared back into the forest.


	18. Unexpected Discovery

0

**Author's Message: Inugirl, I don't really have a set period of time for updates, honestly. Sometimes I update more frequently than other times when the inspiration bug strikes… generally though, as long as I'm not super busy, I tend to update about twice a month. It really depends on how things are going in my life and how inspired I am to write at that particular time. Some writers can fix deadlines. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people. **

**Disclaimer: Another religion will be mentioned in this chapter. I'm not proselytizing. What is mentioned is merely a plot device for the sake of the story. I've mentioned three religions (Shinto, Buddhism, and Hinduism) in a good bit of detail already (and, I hope, a great deal of respect) and I'm putting the next religion on equal footing to the other. Additionally, the actions taken by various peoples in this chapter are fictional accounts of real things that happened to some people in Japan during that time in history. It is not put in there to condemn or condone any religions or peoples; again, it's there for plot. As always, if something seems amiss or offends then by all means send me a message. I'm always ready and happily waiting to talk about things in the story. **

**Author's Note: If I mentioned I knew only a little about the inner workings of Shinto, Buddhism, and Hinduism then I can honestly say I know even less about this one. I know much about the art but very little about daily practice. If you see something very amiss in my descriptions please let me know right away.**

**As always, thank you so much for reading!**

0

1599-1629

0

"Well, I suppose it makes some sense…" Kagome's strong voice broke through the silence that had lingered at Sango's dining room table. Confusion had been the primary emotion of the day since Noboru had left. After many hours of contemplation everyone had reconvened at Miroku's home.

"What do you mean, Kagome?" Miroku tilted his head to the side and raised an inquisitive brow.

The one-time priestess leaned forward and closed her fingers together over the table. "Well, think about it. My arrows didn't work against Noboru, right? Well, that makes sense to me now. He's not a demon so there's no youkai energy for me to purify."

"Yeah, sure…" Inu Yasha interjected with a snort, "That's fine and all but what the hell is a living tree?"

Sango turned her dark eyes to her dearest friends, "In our village we were taught that everything in the world has spiritual energy…"

Kagome nodded and added, "If given enough time and experience, anything can obtain consciousness. That is why some sacred objects act up and people like Miroku and I have to calm it down. You've also seen that objects can become possessed the same as people. Most everything is a vessel that can be filled with energy."

"So, you're saying that this guy is a _tree_ with a soul?" Inu Yasha's voice sounded incredulous to say the least.

"It's not that impossible to consider. Naturally occurring objects tend to have a greater capacity to contain spiritual energy, after all." Miroku chimed in; Shippo nodded in agreement near by.

"Feh, whatever, so how do we kill it?" The hanyou grunted and crossed his arms over his chest. He could care less what Noboru was made of as long as he died like any other bad guy and it _really_ ate at him the way he was unnaturally attracted to _his_ mate.

Everyone looked thoughtful and remained silent.

Shippo's bored sigh emanated from the far corner, "Well we can't worry about something we don't know anything about so why don't we move on? I think I have an idea about where that onsen is that Noboru was talking about…"

0

1629

0

"I think that I would like to see Kagome's time." Miroku exclaimed out of nowhere.

Inu Yasha's eyebrow twitched in irritation; not wanting to rise to the bait of his outburst. Sango had a good idea where he was going with his thoughts but as normal could not resist asking.

"Why is that, dear husband?" The question was a thinly veiled threat to prevent him from saying something perverted.

The threat was promptly ignored. "Why, my dear wife, for the women of course! I bet they're lovely in her time. Don't you think?"

*SMACK!*

The sound of Hiraikotsu rattling the perverted houshi's brains was unmistakable. Kagome suppressed a snicker as she wandered a few steps behind the couple next to her own hanyou husband.

"He'll never learn…" He muttered softly to her. She grinned and nodded her agreement.

It had been nearly thirty years to the day of their meeting with Noboru and Shippo's discovery of the location of their next clue. He had said the reference to a particular food reminded him of only one onsen like it: Unzen Onsen in Nagasaki.

When they had left Edo it had been in the midst of Tokugawa Ieyasu's construction of a great castle. Security had been tight to keep an eye out on the tremendous amount of people pouring in and out of the city. Even then though, Shippo had created several Inari statues which housed his latest creation: demonic barriers. They surrounded Edo at key locations and then activated by Kagome and Miroku. Demons could neither get in, nor out through the barrier, though humans were again unaffected. Because of this, they left behind Akahanna, Haruto, and Kohaku to keep watch for any sign of ambush while they were gone.

Signs of trouble began to emerge the moment the gang started through the Mount Unzen region. They came across several seemingly abandoned villages tucked away in places. Unlike the last time, though, there was no sign of anyone at all; not even bodies. The local shrines also remained in tact. At first everyone had assumed that the town had become less than prosperous and had simply been abandoned… that is, until they found a second ghost town.

No one wanted to stay in the abandoned towns but night was drawing upon them by the time they reached a third town. As they approached it became apparent that that place, too, was disturbingly bereft of human activity. Just as they were about to give up and find a house to hole up in Inu Yasha stopped abruptly and sniffed the air. Kagome turned and looked back at her husband inquisitively.

"Inu Yasha, what is it?"

He waved a claw at her to indicate silence and then sniffed again. Golden orbs turned towards Shippo. "Do you smell that?"

The kitsune still wore his human disguise and he struck a strange figure as he tilted his head up towards the heaven and snorted like an animal. The moment he did so he nodded. "Yeah… I smell it. It smells like blood."

"What kind of blood?" The hanyou persisted.

Shippo made a face at him like he had gone mad; then quickly realized that the dog demon was trying to teach him something important so he raised his head again and inhaled. Green eyes popped open wide while at the same moment he suddenly transformed back into his true form in a theatrical puff of pink smoke. He quickly sprinted off in the direction of the village and called behind him. "It smells like fresh blood! Someone's bleeding down there!"

Inu Yasha concurred and took off after him; their friends rushed after them but were quickly out-paced by the demons. Distantly Kagome could hear her husband instructing the younger demon to keep track of the scent. Briefly, the humans lost their view of the other two but as they rounded a bend in the weathered path they were forced to come to an abrupt halt. Their companions were huddled around a wooden post. The sound of a thick rope being slashed could be heard one moment and in the next Inu Yasha had turned around with a small figure gathered in his arms. It turned out to be a little girl.

"Quickly," Inu Yasha rasped painfully, "Take her. She's burning me."

Sango quickly hustled the unconscious child, by all appearances no more than eight years old, into her waiting grip. It was quite obvious she had some sort of cut on her head but dried blood had matted her dark locks down and it was hard to see what exactly was bleeding.

"Let's get her somewhere indoors where I can get a good look at her." Kagome managed as her eyes flicked over the child's tiny frame; searching for additional injuries. Meanwhile, Miroku, Shippo, and Inu Yasha took the lead and headed into town in search of other survivors or enemies. It didn't take long before they were back with troubling news: the village, like the other two, was also bereft of people.

The men quickly secured for themselves the most defensible house in town. As soon as they found one the women went to work on the girl; shooing the men outside to stand guard while they stripped her dirtied clothing and cleaned her battered body. They were shocked at what they discovered beneath the grime. The worst wound on the child was a long gash that ran all the way along her forehead from the edge of one eyebrow to the other in a straight line. After some cleaning Sango determined that the wound was too clean to be caused by a demon's claw. Rather, the slash seemed to have come from a man-made weapon. They also found rope burns around her arms and ankles. Wordlessly, Kagome used a bone needle to stitch up the girl's forehead with silk string and then wrapped her head in linen strips. Finally, Sango provided her spare yukata to clothe the child while she waited for her things to get properly washed. As soon as she was properly dressed, her hair washed clean of blood, and her wounds bandaged, the women settled her on a clean futon and then called in the boys.

Inu Yasha was the last to step inside and he hovered near the front sliding door to the house to stand guard; he kept his hands balled into fists at his sides. Shippo had settled himself at the little girl's bedside. He was the first to speak.

"Is she gonna be okay?" He whispered; his brow furrowing as he frowned.

Kagome shrugged her shoulders, "I'm not sure. It depends on a lot of things; like if she develops a fever or an infection..." She looked up at the boy before her, "How did you guys find her? She has rope burns and a cut that didn't come from a youkai."

Shippo pursed his lips in a deeper frown, "She was… she was tied up to a post and was hanging upside-down by her feet. When I tried to touch her… her blood burned me so Inu Yasha cut her down instead."

The kitsune upturned his palms towards the women to show them the angry welts that laced his skin. Kagome raised her head and directed her gaze to her too-quiet husband.

"Did she burn you, too?" She asked.

He scoffed but did not allow her to see his hands. When her eyes hardened into a glare he admitted that he, too, had been burned.

"My hands aren't burned, are yours, Kagome?" Sango showed her hands to the miko who promptly returned the gesture with the same result as she.

"Does this girl only burn youkai?" Miroku muttered from somewhere near by.

"I've never heard of anyone burning demons with their blood before…" Kagome added. "Priestesses can't do that."

Sango shook her head as she stroked the little girl's brown-black hair. It was oddly wavy and highlighted with streaks of lighter brown hair. The huntress had never seen anything quite like it.

"I suppose we won't really know until she wakes up."

Inu Yasha grunted, "_If _she wakes up…"

0

Over the next few days Inu Yasha's concerns proved to be quite sound. The little girl developed a nasty fever almost overnight. No one was entirely sure how long the child had hung outside exposed to the elements though her wounds never became infected, still, the fever persisted. It was touch and go for the better part of a day and everyone took turns watching her around the clock except for Inu Yasha who mostly kept guard. Sango helped teach Kagome how to spoon feed broth while the miko taught the huntress how to sew and dress wounds in the cleanest way possible with her knowledge of modern health care. Finally, after four days of constant vigil the girl's fever broke and she began to come to. Sango was there the moment she awoke. When her eyes opened Sango was surprised by how large and round her eyes were. She had never seen anything quite like them.

"Wh-Where…?" She moaned softly as her eyes traveled the room and landed on the huntress.

Sango gave the girl her most reassuring smile, "Thank goodness you're awake. You're safe, dear."

The girl looked confused for a moment then winced when the expression pulled on the stitches to her forehead. She raised a hand to her forehead in an attempt to touch the painful spot but was stopped by Sango's gentle touch on her wrist.

"You shouldn't touch that yet. The stitches still need more time to heal. Lady Kagome says that they can come out in a week and a half if things go well."

As if summoned, said miko appeared in the doorway with a fresh bucket of water in hand and smiled when the girl twisted her head to squint at her. "Ah, you're awake! That's great!"

The miko started to shuffle closer to the girl but she shied away, closer to Sango. Her large, almond-shaped eyes seemed locked on the priestess robes she wore as if they might burst into flames at any moment.

"Did you cut me down just to hurt me again?" The child whimpered.

Kagome was stunned. Most villagers found the sight of a miko relieving, yet this girl was terrified. Kagome set down her bucket and knelt near the exit with her hands raised. She had a feeling that getting closer would only work the child up further.

"No, no, we would never do something like that." Kagome said.

Sango stroked the back of one of the girl's hands. "We're travelers and we found you hanging outside. Why would we want to hurt you?"

"You have a miko." She pointed out.

"Why would that matter?" Kagome wondered out loud.

The girl looked confused. "You weren't called by the village elders?"

The two women shook their heads in the negative. Kagome decided that this train of questioning was important to pursue. "Why would we?"

The child's eyes moved around the room fearfully for a few minutes as if she was not sure someone might be listening before answering in a whisper to Sango. "Because the elders think I brought a curse to the village."

"…A curse?" The two women queried at the same time.

The little girl nodded then winced when her stitches pulled again. "Did you see the other empty village?" When they nodded, though they did not add they'd seen two, she continued. "I'm from there; Chidiwa Village. It was attacked by demons. My… my parents… I don't know what happened to them. They hid me in a closet when the demons came and I heard them screaming… but the demons didn't find me. I waited a day after it got quiet and then when I thought it was safe I ran to the next town."

She was quiet for a moment when Sango offered the child some water and she took a few sips before continuing. "When I got there I was taken to speak with the village elders. I thought I needed to warn them but the elders had already heard about the attack. They said that demons had been wiping out the other villages and that it was because the gods were angry with them. They said it was because of me. Since… Since I escaped when no one else had that meant that I was cursed. But an old miko stepped in and said that it couldn't be me, since I'm just a kid, and that maybe the gods had tried to spare me. The elders were mad but they let the lady take me in."

"So what changed?" Kagome pressed.

The child began to wring her fingers and her lower lip quivered slightly. "I don't wanna say… I'll make the miko mad… just like I made the other miko mad…"

"You won't make her mad." Sango gently replied. "Kagome cares for everyone. She's not like other miko, I promise you on my word as a demon hunter."

The girl seemed less-than-convinced but continued on regardless; she seemed to trust Sango at the very least. "The miko found my Buddha when she was washing my clothes… it… it had a little cross carved on the back. She got angry at me and then she burned it; then she took me back to the elders and told them."

Kagome's eyes widened and she raised a shaking hand to her lips as realization dawned on her. "They used tsurushi on a child?" Kagome had only heard about the torture technique in history lessons but had never considered it had actually been practiced. It seemed too strange to think that someone would hang a person upside down by their feet, cut their forehead and let them dangle there—just to get them to renounce an upstart catholic religion that was only barely practiced.

The little girl didn't look at her but continued. "They thought if I recanted then the demons would not come. They thought I summoned them. The demons came anyway."

"Why didn't they take you?" The huntress had to wonder how her own children had been snatched away while a lone defenseless girl managed to remain largely untouched.

"They tried while I was hanging there… but when one of the demons tried to take me they reared back like they had been burned… so they left me alone. I heard the people in the village screaming. Then everything went dark and I woke up here."

Kagome and Sango looked at each other for a few minutes then back towards the girl. Noboru seemed to be getting less sloppy in his work but it was very strange that he would leave one child behind.

"Did you see a man with blonde hair and red eyes with the demons?" Sango had to ask.

The girl indicated no with a shake of her head. "…Are you going to kill me now?"

Kagome took over at that point. "Of course not; we would ever hurt anyone for believing what they want. Actually, we're here because we think we know who is really causing the youkai to take people around here. We're trying to stop him."

"You had nothing to do with what happened." Sango added quickly. "Say, what's your name?"

"My name's Mina. So then, mommy and daddy aren't dead? Someone just took them somewhere?"

"We can't know for sure until we find them…" said Kagome, "… But we'll try to get them back if we can."

"Should I go home and wait?"

Sango and Kagome looked at each other for several minutes. There was no way an eight year old could take care of herself on her own and they couldn't be sure if Noboru might not come back for Mina later. At the same time it was very likely that taking the girl with them as they looked for Noboru's clues would put her right back in danger all over again.

Finally, Sango managed to speak, "I don't think your parents would be very happy with us if we left you at home alone…"

"Yes, my wife's right. I think your parents would feel much better if you came with us. We don't know what they look like, after all…" Miroku's voice joined in cheerfully as he entered the front door and startled all girls present. He swept into the room and gracefully plunked down onto the floor near Mina's head.

"Were you listening the whole time?" Sango growled at her husband, her eyes narrowing at the grinning man.

He reached over and grabbed his wife's hand and kissed the back of it in a way that Kagome had once told him was considered chivalrous in another land. "Well I was hoping you would say something wonderful about me…" He put on a look of utter dejection while his wife blushed furiously from the open display of affection. "… But alas, I have had no such luck."

Mina cracked her first smile at the gesture. "Daddy did that once to mommy and she made the same face…"

"Did she now?" Miroku's grin grew into something almost feline as he kissed his wife's hand again and was rewarded with an indignant splutter of words from his beloved. "Isn't it romantic? Lady Kagome taught me about it."

The little girl turned her eyes on the woman with the first sign of trust, "You do? Are you Kakure Kirishitan, too?"

Kagome giggled and smiled. "Not quite, but I have heard from some of them."

It was a half-truth. She was truly a Shinto priestess but she doubted it would be simple trying to explain to the girl that she knew about Kakure Kirishitans (or, "hidden Christians") from history lessons five hundred years in the future. Her explanation seemed to satisfy the girl anyway.

Suddenly, the monk was nearly bowled over when Shippo zipped into the room. The kitsune boy deftly avoided the monk and then promptly tripped over the blanketed feet of Mina. He was quickly yanked up by the scruff of his neck by Inu Yasha who began to drag the boy out of the room.

"You idiot, I told you she was awake but you didn't let me finish, dammit!" He spared a glace at the girl gaping up at him and gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry about this pup here. He's a little overenthusiastic." The hanyou then proceeded to haul the kid out the front door.

Kagome could see the look of fear blossoming on the young girl's face and she quickly jumped in to explain. "That's Inu Yasha and Shippo. They're our friends, too. They're good demons."

"Good demons…?" Mina squeaked out, the blanket that had been in her lap now scrunched up near her face.

"They can fight off the bad demons that took your family." Sango added.

"I thought demons were all bad…" Mina argued quietly, twisting the blanket in her fingers. She seemed slightly calmer—if a little confused.

"Are humans all bad just because a few of them act like idiots?" Inu Yasha stood in the doorway while Shippo peered around his side.

Mina blushed and quickly shook her head in disagreement.

"Now can I come in?" Shippo whined impatiently.

"Shit, you sound just like a pup when you say it like that." The hanyou complained loudly but allowed him to pass.

"I am not a pup!" He whined again. It didn't exactly help his case.

The two arguing youkai looked up when Mina emitted a small snicker. Shippo looked thrilled at the response. The half-demon rolled his eyes and sauntered back outside.

"Whatever, I have to get back to watching out for you idiots. Oi, Kagome, when you have a minute why don't you take a break?"

Kagome nodded and turned to the girl. "Are you going to be okay while I'm gone?" Mina agreed quickly. The miko decided to add one more comment quietly, "Don't tell him I said so but, Shippo's been at your side constantly. He's kept an extra careful watch on you to make sure you got better."

The little girl blushed and snuck a look at the young man who pretended he hadn't heard all that with his sensitive hearing. Satisfied that Mina would be fine and knowing that Sango would be there to keep her calm, Kagome rose to her feet and headed outside.

0

"So, what'd you want, Inu Yasha?" The miko peered up at her husband curiously.

"I've been thinkin'…" The hanyou began nervously. He opened his mouth to continue; then shut it again in thought. Whatever he was worried about he was having a hard time broaching the subject.

"What is it? Is it about taking Mina along?" His wife persisted.

"No—well—sort of… but not really…" He turned his golden gaze upon his pretty wife and then sighed when he recognized the look of total confusion. It looked like he would have to spell it out for her. Sometimes he wished so badly that she could read his mind.

"Ah…it's….er… it's about…" He began to sweat a little when he noticed her rising irritation at his beating around the bush. "It's… it's about…uh…pups." He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment when he said it, then cracked an eye open at her when she didn't respond right away. Her cheeks were pink but her expression was too neutral to read. After a few more minutes she looked up at him expectantly. She still wasn't getting it, so he continued.

"You remember when Jaken came to see us right? W-well… that dumbass brother of mine told him something about… us… you know… and uhm… pups."

Kagome's heart lurched in her chest. What could Sesshoumaru have told him? "Oh?"

Inu Yasha nodded, "Yeah, uh… He said that someone told him that… if you—I mean—if we wanted them… you know… pups… that on the night of the full moon we could. I'd have to let my youkai side take over… and… you'd have to purify it. But… we could, but they'd be hanyou."

"What made you think about this just now?" Kagome's mind was reeling from the thought.

"I remembered because of the girl. Sorry, I was going to tell you but… Noboru and keeping Edo safe… and Shippo's damned traps…" Inu Yasha continued to babble.

The miko laid a hand on his arm and smiled. "It's all right, but can I have some time to think about it? I'm a little distracted with Mina."

"S-sure." Inu Yasha agreed. Other things were still on his mind but he could wait; for now, at least.


	19. Precious, Hidden Things

**Author's Nerdy History Note: I couldn't find an exact date of when wigs first began use in Japan but since geisha used them I'm assuming they might have been around nearly as long as them. If I'm placing the usage of said wig in the wrong time period, let me know, but I don't think hair dye would have been an option at this point as "true black" dyes that could have been added in a non-acidic bath might have been hard to find in this time period. **

0

1629-1657

0

Kagome and Sango forced the gang to stay put for a few extra days before hitting the road again for the Unzen Onsen. The women had chosen to wait a bit longer so that they could be sure Mina was fit enough to travel. Fortunately, her wound had been healing slowly but surely. Kagome fashioned for her a bandana to wear to hide the mark that would be too-easily noticeable to the villagers in the Nagasaki region. If they saw it they would know who she was and might attack her for it. Inu Yasha was the least surprised, but also the angriest, about the poor girl's predicament. He knew well what it was like to be persecuted for looking different but to him it mattered less than it had used to… ever since Kagome and her friends had accepted him for who he was. Still, it bothered him that a mere scar could potentially shorten a child's life so drastically.

He shot a sideways glace at the girl in mind while they walked down the main road towards Unzen. He nearly jumped when he realized she was staring back at him; except that she seemed more interested in the front of his shirt. He put on his best sour puss expression and grunted.

"What is it, kid?"

Mina blushed and turned her hazel gaze down towards her fingers. "Ah! Sorry… I was uhm… looking at your rosary. It's pretty."

He made a face when Shippo snickered somewhere behind him and to his left. "I don't know what the hell a rosary is; kid, but these are subjugation beads."

He lifted a section of the beads as further evidence. Mina looked confused but nodded anyway. "Did Miss Kagome make them for you?"

Before the hanyou had a chance to respond Shippo quickly interjected, "No, but Kagome sure loves to use them on him a lot."

Shippo quickly ducked Inu Yasha's first attempt to rap him on the head but wasn't spry enough to avoid the second. He yelped in pain and Mina stuffed her fist partway into her mouth to stifle a giggle. She had already learned that it drew Kagome's ire to see the two boys scuffle but the girl couldn't help but find it hilarious. The boys, in turn, played up their antics slightly for her benefit. Shippo especially liked to get the child to smile once in a while. He often overheard her crying in her sleep at night. They both did, actually, but the kitsune took it especially hard.

"I heard that…" Kagome muttered nearby.

Mina wasn't finished yet, though, "Do you think the person who made your beads would make me a rosary? It looks a lot like that…"

Shippo grimaced. Kaede had made those beads and she was long-dead. Mina didn't miss the expression.

"Did something happen to the person who made the beads?" She asked quietly.

"Ah, yes, she was…" Shippo began and shot Inu Yasha a glance to see what he thought he ought to say. The hanyou shook his head slightly; he didn't think she could handle hearing about Noboru killing her.

Shippo hesitated a little too long, however, and Mina deduced enough on her own "…She was taken by the demons, too?"

"Yeah, kid, that's one of the reasons why we're looking for the little rat bas—…" Kagome's angry look was enough to make Inu Yasha's curse word die on his lips "…uh… jerk… that and we have to get Sango and Miroku's kids back, too."

It was more of a half-truth than an all-out lie. Noboru had taken Kaede's _life_, after all; it was close enough to honesty. Thankfully, Mina was still young enough not to question him too much about it. Inu Yasha wondered if his own pups would be so gullible, no, knowing how smart Kagome was they'd likely be sharp as a tack. Shippo's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I'm pretty good at whittling. Would you like me to try and make you a rosary… can a demon make you a rosary?"

Mina chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully for a moment then looked up at her sable-haired friend. "Well, daddy once said that everyone is fallen so maybe it doesn't matter who makes it? Well, except maybe bad demons… but you're not a bad demon. I can tell, just like Mister Inu Yasha. He's a good demon, too." She bobbed her head emphatically to emphasize her point; her wavy brown-black hair bounced with the motion.

"Then that settles it!" Shippo rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I'll get started as soon as we make camp or find a town. You'll have to tell me more about them though, so I make it right; can you do that?"

Mina's head bobbed up and down again in confirmation.

"…Just as long as he doesn't put any damned spells on it like he normally does…" The hanyou grumbled under his breath.

0

Fortunately, their next stop turned out to be the village with the Unzen Onsen. It was still populated, a sign that Noboru hadn't struck yet, so they quickly chose the local inn attached to the onsen to stay for the night. Concerns about an attack during the night caused them to choose one large room to stay in. Despite the potential danger Kagome found that she was looking forward to a relaxing bath in the hot spring.

Kagome was unrolling the first of the futons when Inu Yasha appeared at the back entrance to their room. He had been doing a little reconnaissance of the room they had selected for safety purposes. It wasn't the most ideal of safe zones, but they would all be together at night at the very least. For now though, he beckoned Kagome to him. The miko finished making up the futon before joining him on the back porch. He wore a lopsided grin on his face as he looked around the empty room. Miroku had been instrumental in getting everybody else out for him.

As she approached him he grabbed her by the wrist and swept her into his arms. She burbled a surprised protest about Mina, which he ignored, and turned his head towards her neck to nuzzle it.

"You're coming with me."

"Wh-what? Inu Yasha, what is it?"

"You may be able to hide it well from your friends but you can't hide it from me, city girl." His voice rumbled against her ear as goose bumps broke out across her neck.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about…" She protested and wriggled a little.

"You've wanted a bath all day. I'm going to take you there." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Besides… I reserved a private family bath for both of us…"

Inu Yasha was nibbling on her ear and it was making it quite hard to think. Somehow she managed to stumble out half a sentence asking about Mina before the hanyou cut her off.

"Miroku and Sango are keeping an eye on her and Shippo… The pups wanted an early dinner anyway." He added.

Kagome wondered what exactly had made him so randy today but she wasn't going to protest. They hadn't really celebrated their wedding anniversary yet this year, after all. Her musings gave the hanyou plenty of time to pick her up bridal-style, jump down from the balcony railing he had been perched on, and head out through the front door. When they got to the private bath's changing area he released her and tugged off the wig he used when walking around in public. He threw the wig along with the outer layer of his fire rat robe and his waist ties into a basket. He then balanced on one foot in a way that only a demon with perfect balance could accomplish to remove one pant leg before switching to the other.

By the time he had finished getting undressed (making sure he brought Tetsusaiga along) Kagome was already halfway to the washing area. He had only vague recollections of his mother assisting him in a family bath like the one they were in now. He had intended on watching her go through the process of washing down to reacquaint himself with that knowledge but Kagome noticed his reluctance.

"Have you been to a hot spring like this before?"

He huffed and turned his back towards her, "Of course I have, wench! I went with my mother plenty of times!" His ears drooped slightly and he quietly added. "I just uh… don't remember much about what I'm supposed to do."

Kagome smiled and made her way back towards him. Her arms drifted down his arm to clasp one of his claws in both of her hands. "Well come on then, and I'll show you what I had to do for Souta." The sour look he cast her made her quickly add, "It's not like I'm _helping_ you or anything I'm just showing you so that you know how to do this for children. In modern times the bath houses are usually split for men and women separately so if we had boys then…"

"…then I'd have to know how to do all this, right?" Inu Yasha completed for her.

"Exactly," She nodded and pulled a much more relieved dog demon towards one of the cleaning stalls.

The miko led her husband to one of the stools and indicated for him to sit down. A sponge, soap, and a bucket of hot water were ready and waiting near by. She lathered up the sponge and began to wash his back first, then handed him the sponge so that he could clean his front. While he was sponging down his front she used a small hand towel to dampen his silver hair and then washed that as well. Running her fingers through his damp locks distracted her from her duties momentarily; secretly she had wanted to wash his hair for some time, just to see how it felt between her fingers. Inu Yasha found no reason to complain as her hands wound their way up his hair and to his scalp where her fingers massaged him.

"Hmm…" He murmured as he instinctively rolled his head towards her hands; tilting it so that one ear could encounter her touch.

She stayed like that for several minutes rubbing his ears until he gave a small, pleased growl and suddenly remembered he hadn't washed. Her hands unwound from his hair as gently as possible before moving to the bucket of water stashed near by. The miko handed it to her husband and instructed.

"Dump this over you and then use this washcloth to get rid of any remaining soap. Once you're clean you can get into the tub. I'll join you as soon as I wash up."

Inu Yasha dumped the bucked over his head before shaking off the droplets like a—well—dog. Kagome gave a surprised squeak when she was suddenly peppered with water. Before she could protest such an injustice the hanyou was beside her his hands resting on her shoulders.

"It's my turn now." He spoke quietly.

She nodded dumbly and settled down onto the stool in the wash station next to his. He set to work demonstrating how good of a learner he really was. His fingers glided over the gentle curves of her sides and down along her back, then up again until he reached the nape of her neck. She shivered and chewed on her lower lip to keep back a moan. His claws moved up slowly to weave through her hair just like she had done and it wasn't long before her hair was damp and sudsy. Kagome closed her eyes to his ministrations to her scalp until a similar bucket laden with hot water was pressed into her lap. She opened her eyes to see her husband grinning at her.

"You seem relaxed…" After she giggled he added, "Come on, hurry up. I want to get in the bath."

Kagome obeyed and was washed off in no time. Finally the two made their way to the tub and waded in. The miko gave a contented sigh as she settled down on the stone seat beneath the surface of the water. Inu Yasha took up the spot next to her and leaned in to nuzzle her neck affectionately.

Kagome laughed and tilted her head back to expose more of her neck to him. "It's been a while since we've had some alone time, hasn't it?"

Her husband mumbled into her skin, "…Far too long."

The miko tried to keep her mind straight as his claws slid across her belly, then dragged downwards to her thighs. Something had been on her mind since their last conversation and knowing what was to come next she had to say it; and say it fast.

"Ah… Inu Yasha?"

"Hmm…?" He answered in a most distracted manner.

"Tonight… if we… if we do this…" She paused when his hands slipped inwards and caused her body to shudder pleasantly. The miko knew she was about to lose her mind at any moment so she had to press on quickly, "…will we have them? …Pups?"

Inu Yasha ceased his activities and looked up at his wife, a serious look gradually replacing the naughty smirk he had been sporting. "No, we won't. Why?"

With his hands stilled she was able to think clearly again and she sat up a little straighter in her seat before turning to look at her husband. "Good, because I've been thinking… I don't think we should try just yet to have any."

Her husband nodded, secretly relieved to hear it, but he had to ask, "Is it because of Mina?"

She nodded, "Yes, partly… Seeing what people are capable of because of a silly statue… I just… I don't want to raise my child in fear and in hiding. I'm sorry, I know you wanted to."

One hand curled around hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, "No, Kagome, I don't want to—ah, not yet anyway—have pups. I was meaning to tell you sooner but you said you needed some time so… I waited… and then I forgot." He gave her a sheepish smile.

The concept of having children still scared the daylights out of him, and it was a great relief to the hanyou to hear that his wife was also not yet ready. Still, if she had wanted them, he would have given it. He was old enough to know by that point that her happiness was well worth overcoming his own insecurities.

Kagome sighed with relief and threw her arms about his neck, "Oh thank goodness! I was so worried you'd be upset!"

"Feh, you don't know me that well, wench." And with that he tugged her up onto his lap. His lips were at her ear in a heartbeat, "Now, let's quit with the worrying and get back to relaxing, dammit!"

0

A very relaxed hanyou and miko returned to their guestroom some time later. They found Shippo and Mina in one corner of the room engaged in deep discussion about her new rosary. Miroku sat nearby, apparently there for spiritual input as needed for Shippo, but he was rather busy waggling his eyebrows suggestively at his wife sitting on the other side of the room tending to the hidden blades she normally kept in the sleeves of her yukata. Sango would occasionally brandish one of the blades at him and flash him a glare; which he ignored in the usual fashion.

Inu Yasha caught wind of the exchange and turned to Shippo. "All right, pup, we're back to relieve you of Miroku. Go on, houshi and take your mate, you're obviously not helping them any."

Miroku ignored the jab and bowed with a flourish, "Well I thank you, dear sir. Come, love let us go…"

Sango made a face before packing up her blades. Meanwhile, the hanyou grabbed the monk by the collar and dragged him close, whispering just loud enough for Kagome to hear him say. "You told me to tell you when she's coming into heat so you won't have any kids… well… she's getting there so don't go nuts."

Miroku's face fell slightly and he sighed dramatically, "The eight-fold path is such a hard one to tread…"

As soon as he and his wife were gone Kagome looked up at the half-demon. "That didn't sound very sincere, Inu Yasha…"

The hanyou made a face at her, "Yeah, well she might not be due _that_ soon but the houshi deserved it for the hell he gave me trying to get you alone. Did you know how much perverted shit I had to listen to from that guy while you were in the bathroom? Gods, I almost gave up! The idiot had it coming…"

"You're bad!" Kagome gasped and gave his shoulder a light slap. "…But I suppose I see your point. I wont bust you _this_ time but don't do it again." She waggled a finger at him in a chastising fashion.

"Yes ma'am," He grinned and kissed the side of his wife's head.

He then moved over to where Shippo and Mina were sitting and chose to settle down nearby. "So how's it coming?"

The kitsune didn't look up at him as he fished through his robes and sleeves and produced various objects on a nearby table: mostly small animal bones and blocks of wood. "I think I have enough here to make one but I'll need you to cut me some more wood later on if you want me to make some more tops."

"That shouldn't be a problem." The hanyou commented lightly, "Oi, shouldn't you let Mina get off to bed? It's awfully late."

Shippo looked up at the little girl, his eyes widening. "Oh! I'm sorry, Mina! Let's get you to bed. I'll get started on this in the morning."

0

It took the kitsune several days to hand carve the beads for the rosary. The bones were used to make the smaller decade beads while the wood was used to create the larger beads to end each decade. From there he threaded the beads with silk thread and closed the ends off with another wooden bauble that formed the shape of a crane. Shippo had encouraged Mina to pick a symbol that might be common to Japanese religion without immediately setting off the fact that she was Kakure. When asked, Mina explained to the kitsune that the crane symbolized protection, provision for others, and perseverance in that if one crane died another would take its place. Shippo was touched by the significance of the imagery and was amazed that a young child could possess such maturity.

The demons in the group were given quite a scare the morning after Mina first began using her rosary. When Inu Yasha and Shippo awoke that day the little girl's scent had completely vanished from their communal room. Quickly, they began shaking their friends awake until they inadvertently stumbled upon the little girl, sleeping soundly tucked away against Kagome. Mina began to giggle in her sleep as the two demons sniffed at her hair and fingers several times, exchanging confused looks with each other when neither could pick up her scent. Kagome had already been roused and held the child protectively as she stared at them.

"What in Kami's name are you two doing?" She growled, none too happy about being awoken so suddenly.

InuYasha began to sweat a little as he sensed a 'sit' approaching, "Er... she...she...doesn't smell."

The miko's temper shortened a little further, her words terse, "What do you mean, she doesn't smell? Of course not. She just had a bath last night!"

For once, Shippo backed the hanyou up, knowing InuYasha was likely to take it out on him later if he did get sat. "Ah, uh... what he means is that she doesn't have a scent—at all."

By this time Miroku, who had been roused by the distressed kitsune moments earlier, was wide awake and listening with his wife. "Don't humans always carry a scent?"

Shippo and InuYasha spoke in tandem just then, "_Everything_ has a scent!"

Miroku scratched the side of his head thoughtfully, "But then, how can she not have a scent?"

The two shrugged their shoulders simultaneously, then glared at each other for performing the same actions twice in a row. Kagome looked down at the sleeping girl in her arms and was amazed at how she could sleep through the ruckus the demons had just made. As if sensing that she was being looked at, Mina mumbled some nonsense and buried her face in the miko's side, the rosary beads clasped tightly in tiny fingers clicked together quietly. The miko glanced at the object and then turned her gaze upon Shippo.

"Shippo, did you cast any spells on the beads while you were making them?"

The kitsune shook his head no, but an idea took root inside his mind. He raised a finger to his lips to indicate for everyone to be silent as he crept beside Mina. With practiced ease he gently removed the rosary from the girl's fingers and closed her hands around Miroku's prayer beads. The monk belatedly noticed at that moment that the kitsune had somehow managed to steal it right from under his nose at some point while he was still sitting next to him. He then scooted away from the group to get himself away from the scent he had been dragging with him all over the place while he sat there. The same puzzled look InuYasha had worn before appeared on his face just then.

"What the hell...? Now your scent is gone." The hanyou gawped.

Shippo sniffed the air, "...Mina's scent is back."

They all turned their eyes on the little girl.

"I'll be damned, so it is..." InuYasha confirmed.

The kitsune scrambled back over to Mina's side and swapped beads again, then gently shook her shoulder. "Hey, Mina, it's time to wake up. I wanna ask you something..."

The child made no complaint as she yawned and blinked up owlishly at the group of faces now surrounding her. "Mm...? Did I sleep in too late?"

InuYasha snorted, "Hardly, but you did scare the hell out of me and Shippo."

Her hazel eyes widened as she processed the information, "I'm so sorry! What'd I do?"

Shippo made a face at the hanyou for potentially upsetting her before chiming in, "Ignore him. We just thought you'd hidden somewhere and we were worried about you for a minute."

"I didn't hide anywhere. I was just sleeping... I'm sorry if I scared you." She looked down at the floor, away from them, as if she might be chastised.

Kagome decided it was probably a good enough time for her to speak. "It's okay, it was just an accident. Hey, Mina, could I ask you something about your rosary?"

The girl glanced at the beads wrapped around her fingers for a second before she turned her large, round eyes back up to Kagome and nodded silently.

The miko put on her most reassuring smile as she spoke, "What did you pray about last night before bed?"

Mina blushed and fiddled with one of the larger beads on her string and kept her eyes on her rosary. "I prayed that the demons wouldn't find me, that's all."

"Interesting..." Miroku interjected before turning his attention upon the nearby kitsune. "Shippo, do you think you could make another rosary? I think this is cause for further investigation."

"I'll need some more supplies but I can do that..." The fox demon responded.

"Well let's get something to eat first." InuYasha twitched an ear in Mina's direction where he could hear her tummy faintly growling, "Some of us here are hungry."

Everyone agreed and began getting ready for breakfast. InuYasha muttered to himself, "Great, just what I need... another Shippo and Miroku investigation..."

0

InuYasha was happy to discover that he wouldn't be nearly as abused for this investigation as he had for prior ones. It turned out Mina had a special knack for 'hiding.' Any beaded object Mina prayed over had the ability to mask scents and even auras from youkai and humans alike. Seeing the obvious benefit of such a trinket, Miroku helped Shippo make several beaded bracelets for each person in their group and some extras to bring with for the family back in Edo. In the meantime, they continued to keep a close watch out for Noboru while they lodged in Unzen.

Months went by with no appearance by Noboru. Attacked on the surrounding towns stopped as well. The gang continued to wait, regardless, and it was at this time that they discovered a secondary benefit to the bracelets. One day in the summertime Mina went outside to play with some local children and forgot her headscarf. She did not realize she had gone without it until she came home later that day. A tense few days went by for the gang, anticipating trouble from the villagers over the girl with the telling forehead scar. When no one raised the alarm they cautiously asked around and discovered that no one had even _seen_ a scar on Mina. To everyone else in town, she appeared to be completely whole, yet, at home amongst her close friends they could see the scar as plain as day. Mina later remembered that she had prayed recently that she might be hidden from a misunderstanding world and Shippo and Miroku then quickly suspected that it was this prayer that had hidden her scar from the townspeople.

It was at this point that InuYasha had to play guinea pig for more experiments from Shippo and Miroku. Not wanting to risk the girl's life by having her wander around in public without a headscarf again, they chose instead to have Mina pray over InuYasha's beads. The hanyou then set out for a distant village without his customary wig to test the theory out. After several days he returned and reported that no one in the village appeared to see him as anything other than a typical young, traveling, _human_ man. Thus, Inu Yasha and Shippo were able to travel in public without the use of .

Months turned into years and still Noboru had yet to appear. The gang continued to stay in the area to take care of Mina. Letters from home from Akahanna, Haruto, and Kohaku described a prosperous and safe Edo leaving the gang to wonder what Noboru had planned for them there in Unzen. Meanwhile, time went by with no sign of Noboru's presence. No more villages were attacked in the Unzen area though the area was far from peaceful. When Mina was about fifteen a peasant rebellion broke out in the nearby city of Nagasaki in 1637. Many frustrated Kakure Kirishitans joined the rebellion and a young and impulsive Mina desperately wanted to join the cause. However, Kagome knew the rebellion would end in utter failure and she and InuYasha managed to talk her into staying home. The rebellion was swiftly and brutally put down by the local shogun. By the time Mina was nearly twenty Nagasaki was the only port allowed to maintain business with the outside world and thus her only access to Catholic practice was through frequent and dangerous trips to the port city.

Mina was thirty-five years old and well-versed in the art of hiding in plain sight by the time Kagome felt a strong desire to leave. Something tugged desperately at her senses, urging her to return to Edo. By winter the feeling had become intolerable and they readied their things to leave. Mina chose to stay in Unzen to help other Kakure in the area. Before they left she promised them that the crane on a rosary would always symbolize a safe haven amongst her people; for good youkai or humans. Finally, the gang began their long journey back to Edo.

0

Kagome stared in slack-jawed disbelief at the sight before her. The night sky above Edo was bathed in undulating reds and golds. The blustery winter air could not keep the intense heat from searing her face, nor could it stop the burning in her eyes from the smoke. Everything before her was being consumed in innumerable flames. People were screaming. _Edo was burning_.


	20. The Great Fire

0

**Author's Notes: Sorry about the massive delay, guys, it couldn't be helped. I had to go to a wedding in another state and then immediately following that I was busy moving out of our college apartment and into our temporary residence where we wait to find out where my fiance will be heading for law school. Unfortunately it took us two weeks before we could get internet hooked up at our new location; then we found out our place had a major pest problem and we had to fight that for two more weeks, and THEN we had to do some renovations on the place because of said pest problem for even longer. Then on top of that my fiance' was injured renovating and I was busy taking care of him until about a week ago. Oh, wait but there's more! So, two days ago we discovered we have squirrels living in the walls of the house, which means we have to fix even more crap in the house. Ugh! Everything that could go wrong with this move HAS gone wrong. Sigh. **

**So, here's the low-down. We're still renovating and we're in the process of saving up money to get married, too so I'm super SUPER busy. I can't promise rapid updates but I will _try_. **

**I should have updates to most of my stories on the way soon. I haven't had any time to write but I've had plenty of time to think about what I've wanted to add. Thank you all for those who have waited patiently for me during this time! I hope my updates don't disappoint. **

0

1657

0

Smoke billowed into the sky as Edo burned and Kagome stood before it all, horrified. The heat was terrible. The demons had left her and the other humans behind to help in any capacity and they had left them quite a ways away from town; yet still the miko could feel the intense heat on her cheeks and face. Sango and Miroku stood nearby for a short time. Then, out of nowhere, the huntress made a tiny choking sound and tore off towards the burning city. Her two remaining children could have been trapped in there, after all! Miroku gave one glance back at Kagome before following after his wife. The desperate look in Sango's eyes scared him more than leaving the powerful miko behind to fend for herself for a few minutes.

0

InuYasha and Shippo barely knew where to start in burning streets of Kyobashi district. Their noses had already determined which districts had begun burning earlier in the day which meant the unfortunate people trapped in those areas would already be long dead from smoke inhalation. In Kyobashi district the air was slightly clearer but the burning districts surrounding it had trapped many residents in their homes. Their sensitive ears could pick up the terrified screams of numerous people in the tightly-packed houses. Shippo was stunned; unable to take a step as he took in the awful sounds.

"Wh-where do we start?" He gulped, turning huge green eyes to his hanyou friend.

InuYasha knew they wouldn't be able to save everyone and the thought brought a frustrated growl to his lips. "Shit. Let's start over there." He indicated to a smoke-filled alleyway nearby. "We should go down the block; left to right. Ignore all houses you can't hear a human breathing or screaming. Shippo, how many controllable copies can you make of yourself?"

The dog demon's orders shook the kitsune from his reverie. "Ah! Two-no-three at a time. The others just run blind."

InuYasha nodded. "All right, transform into a capable-looking human and use your controllable copies to lead them towards that way we came in. Lead everyone you can to that exit we made. The humans won't be able to see where it is like we can."

"Using my magic is going to eat up my energy!" Shippo argued.

"Yeah, but scaring off the humans in youkai form is going to make them die faster." The hanyou shot back. "If the visibility is bad and they can't see then don't transform; save your energy, all right? Now go."

The kitsune bobbed his head up as understanding finally set in. "All right, InuYasha, I'll see you later!"

As Shippo turned to leave InuYasha called him one last time. "Oi, kid! If something happens... You take her blood bond."

Shippo nearly tripped over himself as he skidded to a stop and whirled around to face him, "What? But that means..."

The words faded away. InuYasha was already gone, swallowed up in the sooty blackness of the alleyway.

0

It had been nearly twenty minutes since Kagome had watched Miroku dash off after Sango. The relative silence of the forest had left her feeling more numb than ever. Her mind screeched at her to think; to jump into action. Yet, her legs felt rooted to the spot. She had seen disasters before but only in its' aftermath. Never had she witnessed a true tragedy in progress. She wondered: How had people overcome such horror? A polite cough behind her suddenly brought all her jumbled thoughts to a crashing halt. She whipped around and instantly paled. Noboru stood a few feet away wearing the same sickly-sweet smile as always.

"I didn't expect to find you hear, Lady Kagome." Noboru purred.

"Did...did you start this?" The miko gasped.

The fair-haired man shrugged. "I may have encouraged a little spark. But, I assure you it was for your own good."

Rage took over before in an instant. "How in Kami's name could _this_ be for my own good?" She gestured angrily towards Edo in flames behind her.

Noboru sighed as and glanced at the sky, as if asking the gods themselves for patience for a girl with a silly question. "I have thought long and hard about this and I am certain that this is for the best, my dear."

"What does that mean? People are dead! People are dying in there!" Kagome snarled.

The living tree simply shrugged. "People die all the time. You and your friends all know that. Death is a part of life. You must understand that I've watched this city for some time and that hanyou mate of yours, nor anyone for that matter, could have told you that place was a deathtrap. The fire will cull the herds of humans that live too closely together before plague or something worse breaks out."

"You can't act as a god with people's lives, Noboru!" The miko yelled. "We humans learn from our own trial and error! You can't make decisions for us!"

Noboru waved a hand dismissively, "My logic is infallible, dear. You'll understand that soon enough." He sighed, turned away from her, and then called back over his shoulder. "I'll see you in two years. Have a good night, my lady!"

Kagome could only stand in stunned silence as he disappeared into the treeline and was quickly lost to view.

0

Hours later Sango and Miroku returned to the rendezvous spot where they had left Kagome. The couple wore breathing masks and bore an extra one for the miko. Initially, the two had had no luck searching for their children in the huddled masses of dispossessed residents of Edo. Then in the third hour Miroku came to the realization that his children would not be found standing idly by while their beloved town was in danger; they would be fighting to protect it. With that thought in their minds they began searching the most fire-besieged areas of Edo and quickly discovered Kohaku and their children in short order. They, much like InuYasha and Shippo, had split up to help with rescue efforts in the city. Haruto then led his parents to one of Sango's many hidden weapons caches where he gave them the masks. He could not be sure what had happened to their childhood home, as he had not been home at the time the fire had broken out.

Eventually, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku managed to regroup with Akahanna.

Now that the miko had a proper breathing mask, she was eager to join her husband in the rescue effort. "Where's InuYasha?"

Akahanna bobbed her head towards four floating orbs of fire in the distance. "Kirara's coming to take you to him."

Kagome waited anxiously as the large demonic cat came into view through the haze of smoke and the glow of the flames below. Of all the demons, Kirara (as a fire-type demon) had the easiest time getting around Edo, yet her fearsome look made it nearly impossible to help round up any survivors but ones who happened to be unconscious. When the fire-cat landed she had several blackened and comatose patients to unload before she could take her new passenger. Kirara mewled at Sango and Akahanna a few times and the women exchanged concerned looks before Sango spoke.

"Kirara just came back from the area InuYasha's working in. She seems worried."

With the last of the people offloaded Kagome climbed on before answering, "Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

Her feline transportation took to the sky again. From the air the miko could see how bad the fire had truly become. Edo maintained several lumber yards in town and the cold, dry weather caused the timber to ignite easily; setting other districts ablaze in the process. She scanned the billowing clouds of soot for her silver-haired husband with little luck. Finally, a flash of red caught her eye. Kirara made a growling sound at the same time and quickly descended towards the rapidly-moving target. Kagome was forced to squint as visibility became worse the closer they moved towards InuYasha's retreating form. It quickly became apparent why neither of them could see his hair-he carried at least six people upon his back and in his arms and the clothes they wore obscured his bright mane. It also didn't help that he was coated in soot. Kirara mewled a greeting and Kagome waved as they approached. The pile of bodies shifted and slowed as golden eyes turned skyward and glittered orange in the glow of distant flames. In moments the cat demon had caught up with him and InuYasha quickly set about strapping down people to her back. He chattered instructions in between chides to his wife.

"Kirara, take these people back to safety. I'm going to hit the next district but the worst places seem pretty cleared out. Kagome, what the hell are you doin' out here?"

Kagome was initially taken aback by her husband's sudden shift in attention back to her. "I was looking for you."

"No shit, huh? Well here I am. Now go back somewhere safe." He insisted with a growl.

His snarky response was all the fuel she needed to get her mind back in the game and her mood soured in an instant. "You can't tell me what to do. Besides, you've been out in all this smoke and ash for too long."

Her sudden change in attitude did what it always did: startled him. He fumbled his defense, "I...er...Shippo's still out here!"

Kirara mewled and shook her head, giving the half demon a look that said otherwise.

InuYasha snarled back, "Who's askin' you?"

"He's out, isn't he?" Kagome countered before he could rail on the feline any more than he already had. Kirara nodded in the affirmative; leaving InuYasha to splutter ineffectively. The miko continued; hands on her hips. "When did Shippo leave?"

With a huff he motioned for Kirara to take off with the next load of potential survivors. "I'll take over from here, cat." The demon growled an argument for a few seconds and InuYasha exchanged grunts of his own in the "feral language." Over the years she had come to realize that he did so whenever he did not want her to know something. This only raised her ire. However, what he did not know was that since she had figured out his little trick she had coaxed Shippo into teaching her a few phrases here and there when she was certain her husband was out of earshot. She used her limited knowledge to listen in on their conversation and it confirmed her suspicions. Words like "sick", "tired", "safe", and "people" all pointed to her growing concern that InuYasha was burning himself out in the rescue effort.

Without thinking she jumped into the middle of the conversation. "Kirara's right, InuYasha, you need to stop now."

The hanyou turned wide eyes to his wife, "But... huh? How did you...? ...What the hell? You understood that?"

Crap, Kagome thought, she hadn't meant to let the cat out of the bag so soon. However, that moment was not the time to get into it. "I'll explain later-after we get out of here. Are you gonna leave me to sit in all this smoke?"

"But, Kirara's..." The argument faded away as the cat demon took off with her load of humans and effectively left him to handle his wife. "...damn cat..." He grumbled to himself before a fit of coughing suddenly ended his fussing.

Kagome pressed a hand to his shoulder, concern evident in the way her lips twisted into a worried frown. "InuYasha, you need to take a break."

"I can't quit, Kagome, people need help."

"...and if you pass out who can come to rescue you? Sango says Kirara's tired and we humans can't handle the smoke like you can..." The miko argued.

The dog demon was quiet; a sure sign she was on the right track. Kagome gave his shoulder a squeeze. "How about this, let's check out the next section of town and then we'll go back."

He gave her a relieved grin before he squatted down to carry her off on her back.

0

Dark and sooty, Kagome and InuYasha finally returned to the makeshift campsite set up outside of town for those who had been rendered homeless by the on-going fire. Sango and Shippo met them at the edge of camp and led them to their own site near by. Shippo looked just as bad as they did-if not worse because he looked pale and drained in addition to watery eyes and sneezing. The demon huntress saw the concerned look on the miko's face as she assessed the boy who had become a son to her and crossed her arms over her chest, shooting a frustrated glare only a seasoned mother could produce at the boy.

"He wouldn't rest until he was sure you guys were back at camp."

Kagome immediately mirrored the look Sango wore. "Shippo..."

The kitsune had meant to give her a sheepish smile but could only respond with a sneeze and a sniffle.

Sango shook her head, "Come on then, let's get back to camp."

0

Everyone had their hands full the next afternoon when the great fire, which had lasted throughout the night and into the next day, suddenly changed direction and headed towards Edo castle. An hour later a frantic Jaken sought them out: Rin was trapped inside the castle and Sesshoumaru was nowhere to be found.

Jaken led the way towards Edo Castle and the outer-lying area which housed the daimyo. Firefighting teams were already on the scene but the fire had already ripped into several nearby buildings. By the time they arrived the frog-faced demon was already in a full-blown panic. He pointed out the building she was supposed to be in but it was already engulfed in flames. Kagome spoke with the firefighters and quickly discovered that all of the occupants of the building had been evacuated long before it had ignited and that they had been moved into the castle. Rin was apparently safe for the moment. The gang's new job then was to stop the fire before it burned down the castle.

The smoke was not quite as bad as the first day but the flames proved to be a tough opponent. Many of the fine manors around the castle were scorched away and even a handful of towers on Edo Castle's outer wall burned to the ground. Fortunately, many more people were saved than on the first day. However, when the gang was finally able to get inside the castle they found that Rin wasn't there either. They looked for Rin for several hours but eventually had to leave Jaken to search for her on his own. Everyone went to bed in camp that night utterly exhausted.

0

On the third day the fire had finally burned itself out for the most part. Shippo and InuYasha tried to look for Rin again but thick smoke from the smoldering ruins of more than half of Edo forced them to stay near the camps and make-shift hospitals; tending to the injured. Three more days rolled by before Edo was safe to traverse once more. Miroku, Kagome, Haruto, and Akahanna, all monks, priests, or priestesses by trade were employed, along with hundreds more like them to go about the unpleasant task of transportation and cremation of hundreds of thousands of the unfortunate dead. In that age, it was impossible to know for certain how many had died in the Great Fire, but it was estimated to be at least over one hundred thousand. There were so many bodies and almost all of them were impossible to identify. Many were charred beyond recognition while others, ones that had expired due to smoke inhalation, had become distorted by the smoke and the days spent rotting and exposed to the elements. In the camps, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, and children searched for family in vain. It was a dismal, depressing experience to everyone and especially frustrating knowing that Noboru had caused it all.

On the seventh day Sesshoumaru finally appeared. He skulked into camp, his expression as unreadable as ever, and followed Jaken to InuYasha's temporary abode. Sesshoumaru noticed that his half-brother and the kitsune were the only ones present on site at the moment and he quirked a brow at this. His hanyou brother was not one to travel far from his mate, after all. A few moments later InuYasha tilted his head up to sniff the air, then turned his gaze in the direction his brother's scent; a frown tipping the corners of his lips ever-so-slightly.

When he was within casual speaking range he grumbled, "Did you find your mate?"

"Quick to the point, as always, dear brother." Sesshoumaru drawled. "Yes, Rin is quite fine. I wouldn't dare risk leaving her in such a place."

InuYasha's frown drew further downward, "What d'ya mean by that? If she wasn't there then why did Jaken send us to the Castle to look for her?"

"This one had a great many political interests vested within the castle and was much too busy with other issues to handle it personally." The great demon lord shrugged casually.

The half-demon crossed the distance to his brother and stood in front of him, nearly nose-to-nose. "You sent me to the castle for your damned _politics_?"

"It was for your own good... unless you would choose to live in a tent whilst the city is rebuilt? Surely your human mate cannot endure this winter chill as a hanyou can?" The demon lord blinked back; one eyebrow raised just slightly.

InuYasha gawped at his half brother like he had sprouted a second nose right before his eyes. He was not allowed to stare in utter speechlessness for long before Shippo's cough broke the silence.

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes flicked towards the kitsune, then narrowed. "Your pup is coughing up something black."

Shippo waved his hands dismissively as his coughing fit subsided. "What? No. S'nothing. Really."

But it was already too late as the Great Lord gave Jaken a pointed look and the frog-faced man obeyed with a disgruntled sigh. He grabbed the boy's hand and inspected the black gunk on his palms; then clucked his tongue disapprovingly.

"It is soot, Lord Sesshoumaru," Jaken was not about to address anyone but him as much as he could help it, "This boy has been mucking about in the fire too long. His body is expelling all the foreign matter within. I suspect-"

InuYasha cut Jaken's next statement short when he blurted out, "-You're coughin' that shit up, too? Why the hell didn't you tell me, pup?"

Shippo was immediately on the defensive, "What do you mean, "too"? You didn't tell me you had it either!"

"I figured it was a bug and it'd pass. I didn't want to worry Kagome. You know how she gets when she thinks I'm hurt." InuYasha answered honestly; he was too surprised to counter with his normal abrasiveness.

Sesshoumaru's bored sigh interrupted any further argument. "This one grows tired of waiting through your petty squabbles. Will you be coming or not?"

Shippo jumped in before his adoptive father could give a definite 'no.' "Ah, what about Sango and Miroku and their kids? They're human too. We can't just bail without them."

The Great Demon refused to spare a glance away from InuYasha but he did respond to the comment. "Your pup makes a surprisingly intelligent point. It is not unreasonable to house one's pack, even if this Sesshoumaru questions your choices in pack-mates. Very well, that can be arranged. You must give me an extra day to procure more space. That should give you plenty of time to speak with your mate."

The Great Demon of the West then turned on his heel and stalked off; leaving no room for further discussion.


	21. Private, Courtly Matters

**OMG. I made another chapter. Be afraid! Um, yeah. I've been busy. Sorry, guys. I moved, got married, got a new job, started working towards healthcare certification to make up for my massively useless art degree... Yeah... busy. I write when I feel like it and, thanks to my husband, I've gotten BACK into InuYasha since Toonami's got it back up and running. Again, no promises for updates but... I can't lie and say the spark to write isn't there with each episode I watch. It's there. It really is. Will I turn out chapters quickly? No, probably not. But... with each episode staring me in the face it's kinda hard to ignore... so take that for what it is. **

0

1657

0

Sesshoumaru had vanished along the way to the castle within a gaggle of servants, politicians, and noblemen. The moment his brother had stepped past the charred front gate they had descended upon him. At first he had thought that his brother would swat the simpering humans away like flies but instead the proud demon began to speak with them; ferreting orders to panicked civilians with almost practiced ease. InuYasha would never have believed the sight of his anti-social half-brother speaking with them if he hadn't seen it just then with his own eyes. And then, just as he was being mind boggled, the great demon vanished within the crowd; swept away to gods knew where.

"So... where the hell is my bastard of a brother anyway?" InuYasha grumped, his claws idly scratched at the base of his left ear.

Kagome squinted into the throng of people. "I have no idea... he's not exactly difficult to spot."

The sound of someone clearing their throat drew their attention. Jaken had appeared suddenly beside them his huge bug eyes blinked slowly back at them, bloodshot from several days without sleep.

"The master is busy at the moment. He instructs me to take you to your quarters." He seemed less than enthused with the task he had been assigned, as if it was beneath him.

"What the hell, Jaken?" InuYasha snapped, "I thought we were supposed to get some answers? Now he's left us?"

The frog-faced demon rolled his eyes. "As you can see, the castle is in a bit of disarray at the moment. Lord Sesshoumaru will find you when he is ready to speak with you."

"Keh! Forget it then, I'm going back to camp!" The hanyou grunted and turned to leave. Kagome placed a hand on his arm to give him pause.

"Hold on, InuYasha, let's wait... besides, Jaken said he had something to treat that gunk you and Shippo have been coughing up." Her dark eyes turned towards the lesser demon, cold and piercing. "Right, Jaken?"

Jaken shivered under her cold stare and her icy voice. "Y-yes ma'am!" He spluttered "P-please, this way."

0

"This stuff tastes like shit." InuYasha huffed. He sat cross-legged next to Shippo and sipped gingerly from a mug of gods-awful tea.

"Totally." Shippo commiserated. Jaken had ushered them into a tatami room near by where they now sat and drank the tinctures provided by the imp demon.

"Drink. It. Up." Kagome drilled. She loomed over them, arms crossed stiffly over her chest.

Sango thumped Hirakotsu against the floor behind them. It made an ominous "whump" sound with each tap that made the two unruly demons wince. Kagome had already sat InuYasha twice before he cooperated. Shippo sported a few lumps on the head for his lack of cooperation as well.

Miroku sighed and shook his head "This would all go much faster if you simply got it over with and downed the whole thing."

"I'd like to see you drink this crap any faster." The hanyou shot back. Shippo nodded in silent agreement.

"He will get the chance, master Miroku." The sound of Jaken's voice drew all eyes to the entrance to the tatami room. The imp shuffled into the room bearing a tray of mugs. As he passed them out he talked. "I apologize for the delay, but we had to alter the recipe to accommodate humans. These will help you expel the soot from your chests the same way they will help those two." He sniffed dismissively at InuYasha and Shippo.

InuYasha growled back his lack of appreciation for his snub. Shippo burst into fits of laughter. "Ha! Now you have to drink it too!"

Not wanting to show weakness, Kagome and Sango both grabbed their mugs without another word and downed the contents immediately. Kagome quickly realized that the two had not exaggerated the taste. It _was_ awful. Yet, she kept her poker face in place the entire time, as did Sango. They couldn't show the boys any weakness. They would easily try and use the knowledge to guilt them the next time something for their own good came up.

InuYasha scowled at them. Shippo's face wrinkled into a look of shock and disgust. They always had to prove a point. It was so unfair! Jaken's alarmed squawk brought his attention to the other side of the room where Miroku was bent over a small potted plant. He appeared to be surreptitiously trying to pour his drink into the pot. Jaken had apparently caught him in the act of doing so and chattered chastisingly at him.

"Sir Miroku, please don't pour that out. You must drink your potion! It is for your own benefit! If you are not all up to peak physical fitness the Master will have my head!"

Miroku blinked back at him and smiled benevolently, "My good sir, I was only admiring this lovely bonsai over here, why, just the other day I-"

*Blam!* Sango's boomerang slammed into her husband's skull with a resounding thump. The monk crumbled to the floor, his wife followed him down. With a deft sweep of her hand and a turn of her hips the monster slayer had the monk pinned to the floor with the mug in hand. She quickly proceeded to pinch he husband's nose, waited for the inevitable gasp from him when he ran out of air, then dumped the contents of the drink down his throat. He gurgled and thrashed as she bellowed "SWALLOW IT!" Finally, he gulped and went limp.

"So cruel, my love." Miroku moaned from the floor, moments later.

Sango rolled her eyes and rose to her feet. She primly pressed the folds of her kimono back in place. Kagome shrugged. Shippo, InuYasha, and Jaken looked on in terror. There was a period of awkward silence, then Kagome asked. "So, Jaken, what does this stuff we drank do, exactly?"

Jaken blinked stupidly at the miko. "Do wha...?" Then he shook himself, "Ah, yes, that. Well, it should help you expel the rest of that soot in your lungs safely. You will likely cough a little bit more for a while but it should all be gone in a day or so."

Kagome pursed her lips, a second thought bothered her. "Will we still be able to tend the dead and help the injured?"

"Ah. Yes, miko, my Lord encourages your help as much as possible but requests you return to the castle at night." He nodded emphatically, then added. "Except for the occasional cough the potion won't hinder your work in the slightest."

"May I inquire as to why, exactly we are here, Jaken?" Miroku spoke from the floor, he had rolled onto his side, a bent elbow helped prop his head against his fist. He acted as though his wife had not just assaulted him mere minutes before. Instead he appeared to be merely bored and lying down for respite.

Jaken was silent. It was easy to see the wheels turning in his little green head. InuYasha growled in irritation. Whatever his bastard brother wanted couldn't be anything good if his most loyal (and cowardly) subject was reluctant to answer.

"We-well, you see... ah... the Master..." The imp lapsed into silence again. Clearly re-thinking just how to phrase exactly what it was he wanted to say.

"This one would like to offer you a job." The sound of Sesshoumaru's voice gave everyone a start. Jaken gave an appreciative bleat, relieved to have been spared explanation.

"Offer?" InuYasha scoffed. "Why the hell would you offer anything to a worthless half-demon like me?" To Kagome, the faint hint of bitterness that tinted his words was obvious.

"This Sesshoumaru offers this job on the behest of another one." His palatable boredom was apparent in his droll, rolling speech, as if he were asking a maid to fold his laundry.

"Oh really? And who would that be?" InuYasha spat back.

"Me, my Lord." Rin spoke as she shuffled out from behind Sesshoumaru's back. InuYasha noted the way the great demon bristled when she appeared and the way he released his arms from the fold of his robe, akimbo, a loose stance of readiness. Then Rin's scent hit him. Shippo beat him to the punch.

"Rin! You've got a kit!"

Sango gaped openly. Kagome gasped in shock. Miroku looked confused.

InuYasha, of course, broke the ice in the worst possible way. "You let her get knocked up?" He sniffed the air again. His eyes widened. "It's _yours_?" His voice was incredulous.

"You..." Shippo joined in. "...With a _human_? But I thought you hated humans?"

"This Sesshoumaru can do whatever he wishes." The demon lord rumbled.

Rin's cheeks turned a shade of pink, even as she turned up her chin and replied. "What's wrong with my being a human, anyway?"

"Nothing's wrong!" Kagome interjected. Her eyes turned pointedly towards her husband. "We... ah... We're just surprised... that's all..." She fumbled.

"Tch! Idiot. You should have waited to whelp her." InuYasha shook his head, his claws on his hips. "We're not even going to _think_ about pups until a safer time period..."

"InuYasha!" Kagome hissed. The blood rushed to her cheeks in an instant.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "A safer time period...?"

"Ah...well... Kagome, you know. She has visions. You see." Miroku broke in quickly as he shot the hanyou a dirty look.

"Visions of the future?" Sesshoumaru queried.

Kagome shot her husband a withering look, to which he winced in apology. "Ah... Yes, I do. Sort of..."

Sesshoumaru nodded for her to continue. "It's not perfect... I don't..." She hesitated. Sure, she could predict what could happen in history, but as Noboru had proven, what was in the history textbooks she had poured over in high school and what had happened in reality were two things entirely. "The details are very foggy."

"But you could divine to this one something that happens, say, fifty years from today?"

Kagome did not like where this line of questioning was going. InuYasha intercepted.

"Oi, she doesn't know everything. Okay? It's only the major stuff—..."

"-And it can't change history." Kagome added. "If it does then... what I see won't come true... and the visions... they'll stop."

Kagome looked to her husband. Technically, what she said was the truth, so she hoped Sesshoumaru couldn't smell any deception off of her. One look to the hanyou and she had her answer. His small nod of approval brought a wash of relief over her heart.

Miroku's polite cough brought their attention back to the monk. "Lord Sesshoumaru, you didn't call us here to speak of Kagome's vague visions, did you not?"

The great demon shook his head in the negative.

"You wish for us to guard Rin, perhaps?" Miroku queried.

Sesshoumaru scoffed. "This one wishes no such thing. This one's mate requested it."

Rin nodded and stepped forward. Her brightly-colored kimono's silken whispers followed. "Lord Sesshoumaru can bully and scare his way into getting me some protection but I'd much prefer the company of friends.

"Are you in immediate danger?" Sango queried.

Rin shook her head. "No, Lady Sango, not directly...not overtly..."

"But seeing as Lord Sesshoumaru has many enemies it seems wise that the girl might be guarded by those she trusts." Jaken interjected. "And, since she refuses to leave while Edo is rebuilt..." He shot a critical eye at the woman to remind her of how little he thought of her decision. "... We need those we can trust more than ever to watch her through this... time."

"Hmph! I just think that the castle should be rebuilt last. That's all. My Lord thinks we should make the politicians happy here first... not the common folk."

"This one wonders what the miko thinks of my Rin's decision?" He turned his golden eyes back to Kagome, an eyebrow raised.

Internally, she cursed. The great demon surely wouldn't forget that she knew of the future. Still, if he obeyed what she had to say; and what, exactly must happen for history to properly unfold. It couldn't hurt...

"Ah, Rin's correct. Edo should be repaired before the castle. At least, that's the way I saw it." She hedged.

The great demon sighed and swept out of the room. "As you say, miko. Jaken, make arrangements for our guests. I must see to the city builder that my will is done."

"Hey wait a second!" InuYasha took a step forward. "We never said we were stayin'!"

Sesshoumaru never looked back at him as he walked away. "So you would abandon this one's request? I thought you more honorable than that... perhaps I was wrong...?"

InuYasha had no time to argue back. The great Lord was gone.

"Damn it!" He squatted down onto the floor and punched his fist into the tatami. The mat beneath his fist dented slightly but was otherwise unharmed. Kagome noted that he hadn't really tried to hit it that hard, which meant he wasn't _that_ angry about their situation. He sighed and looked up at his wife wearily. "So I guess that means we're staying, huh?"


	22. Chaotic Birth

**Hey guys, just a heads up. If you haven't read the last chapter since I posted it on April 25, 2013. I suggest you go ahead and do so. I replaced the old chapter, which was just an announcement, with an ACTUAL chapter. So make sure you go ahead and read that one, too.**

**Also, I'm officially altering Shippo's name to Shippou. I believe I've been spelling it wrong for a while. Sorry about that... I'll go back and fix it when I do my re-works. Weirdly enough it seems like the Dub uses Shippou (during title sequences) and the Sub uses Shippo. If one is the ACTUAL accepted version, please, drop me a line. I'm thoroughly confused.**

**And... I don't have any children (*blush* yet... we're getting ready to start trying soon) hence I'm using what I can wiki on childbirth and what I remember from WAY back when I was seven and my mom had my sister. Parents, if I'm wrong, like always, let me know.**

**Also, skipping bits involving tons of Rin and Sesshy as I have set those aside for Carolina. Those are her bits, as promised. I am still not interested in writing them... **

**On a FINAL note... I was watching InuYasha on hulu to compare some notes when the ad chooser came up and asked if I preferred cats or dogs. Cats or dogs? While watching InuYasha? LOL (Yes, I chose dogs, it seemed too appropriate to ignore)**

0

1657

0

"Damn, she's got bad timing!" InuYasha grumped as he zipped through forest. The cold crunch of semi-frozen leaves underfoot seemed to echo in the air around them. Kagome winced at the biting wind as she clung to his back.

"A baby comes when it wants-not when _she_ wants." Kagome replied tersely. "She had nothing to do with this."

"Keh." He spat back as he dodged a branch, then used another to launch himself into the air for a good stretch. "She didn't have to be up all night pouring over those plans for the city rebuild. That ain't work for a woman to be doin'..."

"Women can do all sorts of work, InuYasha." She shot back, the ire rising in her voice. "They do all sorts of things in my time." She sniffled in an attempt to keep her nose from running in the cold.

"In your time, sure. But this time's _different_, Kagome. Besides, she ought'a been resting and you know it." He nearly gave a joyful shout as the trees thinned and Edo, a city in transition, appeared in the distance. In moments they were in town. InuYasha took to rooftops and scaffolding to avoid the crowds of people below. He dodged a handful of surprised roofers, then dropped back down to the street in front of the gates to the castle. He had been scolded several times over for jumping the wall, 'like a wild animal' as Sesshoumaru put it, and thus knew better than to startle the guards yet again with his sudden appearances at the castle. He was glad he did, as he found his half-brother waiting impatiently at the entrance.

"This one wonders where in the seven hells you have been, hanyou." He rumbled. The only sign of his agitation was a slight narrowing at the corners of his golden eyes.

InuYasha deposited his wife gently on the ground before responding, "I was taking my wife out to find those damned herbs _you_ said was gonna make the pup come faster." He made a sweeping gesture with one clawed hand in the general direction of where Rin's quarters were located. "Looks like it's comin' just fine on it's own without our help."

"This one said no such thing." The great demon argued as he stalked off towards the living quarters where his mate was housed. His tone was almost-bored but to the well-seasoned ears of Kagome and InuYasha the strain he was hiding was too apparent.

"Yes you did!" The half-demon bellowed as he followed, hard on his brother's heels. "Jaken said that you said-"

He stopped dead in his tracked and turned to face his half-sibling. InuYasha came to a screeching halt mere inches from him; forced to stop so suddenly he almost barreled right into Sesshoumaru.

"Jaken sent you, did he?" He asked quietly.

"Hell yeah, he did. Didn't you know?" InuYasha grunted.

Sesshoumaru regarded his brother for a second. "No. This one will have to hurt him later for his insolence..." He muttered before he turned away and resumed his march towards the living quarters.

The sounds of Rin's labored breathing and small, pained gasps reached both dog demons several steps before Kagome. InuYasha swiveled his ears back against his skull to block out some of the noise. He'd heard it all before with Sango's child bearing but it still bothered him. He slowed down as he neared the building and Kagome hustled ahead. She disappeared into Rin's residence just as Sango came out to receive her. Jaken, unsurprisingly, was nowhere to be found.

Sesshoumaru made to follow her inside until InuYasha put a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, you don't want to go in there. The women'll just throw you back out."

"This Sesshoumaru is not stopped by mere women." He scoffed, shaking off his hand. He took one step forward before an ear-piercing cry nearly deafened his sensitive ears. Having heard enough of his mate's suffering he strode forward, up the stairs where Shippou watched open-mouthed from the steps, threw open the sliding doors and vanished into Rin's room.

Shippou shot InuYasha a look, "Should we go get him?"

The hanyou shrugged. "Nah, let them throw 'em out. He's not gonna listen to us. I'm not partial to getting poisoned for no damned reason."

Shippou nodded sagely from his seat. Rin's cries bothered his ears as much as the next demon, but he'd been strictly instructed to keep watch over Rin and Sango. He'd been through the same process enough times with Sango to simply obey whatever was asked of him without complaint. It was clear, though, that Sesshoumaru had not had such experiences. In mere moments a chorus of indignant female shouts erupted from behind the closed rice paper doors. Rin's shrieks of "GET OUT" and "YOU DID THIS TO ME" were of particular note among the din raised alongside Kagome and Sango. The doors slid open quickly thereafter and a disgruntled Sesshoumaru breezed out.

Chastised and now itching for a fight, the great demon turned his flaming golden gaze onto his half-brother.

"You." He rumbled. "Why did you not warn me of this... behavior?"

InuYasha shifted his legs apart in anticipation of a fight. "Me? When the hell have you _ever_ listened to me? I _told_ you not to go in there. You went in anyway!"

The great demon stormed towards him, his fingers slid towards the hilt of Tokijin. "Then perhaps you should speak louder, wretch!" He snarled.

Shippou began burbling for the two to stop arguing. He was in no mood to risk the wrath of both Kagome and Sango should they start brawling. He was not willing to find out what Rin's rage looked like, either, for that matter. As the air grew heavy with youkai energy the two demons growled at each other and drew swords. Exasperated and terrified, Shippou fished out a leaf from one of his pockets and transformed into a small statue.

Just then, Miroku arrived riding Kirara. He had been out with Kagome and InuYasha when they were out picking herbs but had been left behind once the two had been summoned by Kirara. Miroku had stayed behind to collect their abandoned belongings so that they might make it back to Edo in haste.

As the former priest came upon the quickly escalating scene he shook his head. "I should have dropped everything and followed, shouldn't I, Kirara?"

The two tail growled her affirmative as she landed near the two squabbling brothers. By then, the two had locked swords. Sesshoumaru seemed emotionless in the face of his snarling brother but Miroku could see the feral glint in his eyes that spoke to his rage and frustration.

InuYasha called out to his friend, "Will you tell my idiot of a brother that Sango was just as bad as this?"

Their swords shrieked against each other. Sparks flew between them.

Miroku had to raise his voice to be heard over the racket. "He's right, Sesshoumaru. My Sango was much the same way-worse, in fact."

Sesshoumaru leaned into the blades, ignoring the priest's shouting. InuYasha grunted and braced his feet in the cold dirt. Neither would give an inch.

Miroku could only think of one thing to stop the brawl. His eyes darted about in a desperate search for Shippou. Violet orbs finally landed on an out of place statue perched on the edge of the stairs leading to Rin's room. He grumbled and stomped over to it, then rapped it hard on the head with his staff.

With a poof of smoke the kitsune popped back into form, swearing and rubbing his head.

"Ouu... what'd you do that for?" He whined.

Fearful he might give away what he was about to do to the sharp-eared demons, Miroku motioned with his hands towards the kitsune's pockets, then twirled a finger to indicate his spinning tops. Hesitantly the kit pulled out one and showed it to him. Miroku indicated with a second finger to pull out another. He complied. Then the priest pointed at the two feuding brothers and nodded.

Shippou looked at the two furious demons, then back at Miroku, then back at the fight. "Aw, hell." He muttered, then glanced up towards Kirara. "You'll get me out of here if they come for my head... right?"

Miroku thumped him on the head with a fist. "Just hurry up and do it."

Shippou swore and reared back. "You so owe me for this..." Then let the spinning tops fly. They landed on each of the brother's heads with expert precision. The tops immediately grew to enormous sizes, sending the two demons slamming into the earth.

Miroku watched in awe as he saw the two strongest fighters he knew taken down to size by a mere kitsune. Dust flew in the air as the tops turned mercilessly and furiously on their skulls.

"Nice work Shippou." He muttered, then blinked. "Shippou?"

But the kitsune had gone. Shippou had wisely fled the scene.

0

Kagome felt the sudden decrease in the heaviness of the air when Shippou worked his magic. She turned her head towards the two sources of all that energy. _Well, at least that's settled, hopefully they're not dead_... she thought to herself. The miko had been told by Sango that InuYasha had thrown more than a few fits during her pregnancies and births and had come to expect the same with Rin but she had been completely blindsided by Sesshoumaru's lack of decorum. Either way, at least it seemed to be over.

"That was over quick." The miko muttered.

Sango blinked up at Kagome from the floor. She had been tending to Rin by her bedside, giving her water as needed to keep her hydrated. "I wouldn't be so sure of it. InuYasha raged for hours while I gave birth. His... brother seems much the same."

Having just endured her first series of serious contractions and now in a lull Rin chose that moment to converse. "My Lord. He is well?"

Kagome showed her most convincing smile, the one she wore while treating injuries. "Oh I'm sure he's fine. He's just worried about you, that's all." She glanced back at the closed doors. "Would you like me to go check on him?"

Rin cracked an eye open in her direction and nodded. "Please, lady Kagome. I did not mean to-"

"Oh stop that." Sango waved her palm dismissively. "This is all normal... and Sesshoumaru's simply angry because he can't make it easier on you. If he could take a sword and chop your pains away he would." She thumped the side of her left hand against the flat of her upraised right palm in a chopping motion. "But, he can't. Men cannot fight this battle for their women, thus it drives them mad."

"Remember, Rin, Sango's had, not one, but four children. She's an expert." Kagome added with a quick nod. "But, as I said, I'll go check on him..."

Rin nodded from her bedding. Her fingers curled into the comforter a hair. Sango gave the miko a pointed look to hurry. The demon slayer was certain the girl was gearing up for more serious contractions again. Kagome padded away before she could be distracted from her duty. She slid the door open an slipped outside. Outside, the sky was overcast and she buried her arms in the sleeves of her robes to ward off the chill. The miko was careful to slide the door shut behind her so that the warm air in the room, encouraged by a small wood burner in the corner, would not escape.

The grounds around her were pockmarked with chunks of dirt kicked up in the quarrel between the two brothers. Further beyond she could see a shallow crater that still smoked from some unknown source. As she squinted into the cloud she could dimly make out the lower portions of InuYasha and Sesshoumaru.

"I can't believe that little imp took down the two most powerful demons in Edo..." Miroku quipped.

Kagome started and turned her eyes in his direction, "Shippou... did... what did he do?"

"See for yourself, the smoke's clearing." Miroku pointed towards the two figures.

Kagome's eyes bugged. Two huge spinning tops wailed away on the heads of the dog demons. "Shippou... did... THAT?!" She sputtered.

"I didn't think he had it in him." The monk muttered, wonderment apparent in his voice. He absently scratched the back of his neck. "He must have caught them completely from surprise. It's rather impressive." He hesitated, "I haven't a clue how long this'll last, though. Shippou took off."

Kagome groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose with two fingers to ward off an inherent headache. "Great... so... we don't know when they'll be free..."

"... And when the time does run out, they'll be furious." Miroku finished for her.

Kagome wished, for once, her husband was able to swear profusely on her behalf. It fit the situation so nicely; and she wasn't one to swear. Subduing both demons was going to be a problem for them. Kagome couldn't use the beads, as she would be too busy helping Rin. She wouldn't have the time to come rushing out to sit him whenever he came to. Not to mention Sesshoumaru had no such limitations. There was nothing to subjugate him.

"Kagome..." Miroku began hesitantly, "I think I have a plan."

0

Four hours in to Rin's labor the spinning tops' magic finally sputtered and died. In a poof of smoke they returned back to their original forms. InuYasha grunted and shuddered, then began a quiet string of blush-worthy curses. Sesshoumaru shifted quietly, uttering not a word.

A voice cut through, "I would stay where you were, if I were you."

InuYasha huffed and pushed up from the ground. "Oi, shut the hell up, monk. Now tell me, where the f-"

A sudden crackle, then a shaft of light brightened the sunset glow to daytime. InuYasha jerked away from the barrier that singed his ears and made his hair smoulder. He was forced to drop back down or risk the demonic barrier.

"What nonsense is this, monk?" Sesshoumaru hissed. He had folded his knees beneath him, arms crossed over his chest, eyes closed, as if to look upon the priest would offend his senses.

"I think you know very well what this is." Miroku answered back.

"It's a fucking BARRIER? What the hell, Miroku?!" InuYasha bellowed. "Why the HELL am I in here? I didn't start this shit, HE DID!"

Miroku scratched his head. "Well, you see, Kagome and I couldn't make a barrier around Sesshoumaru alone... you two were much too close to each other so..." He shrugged and motioned at the sutras encircling their little crater.

"Ka-Kagome helped?" InuYasha paled visibly, the fight quickly evaporating from him. "There's no way I'm gettin' outta here any time soon then... Damn."

"You may be trapped, but this Sesshoumaru will nngh-!" The barrier sparked and hissed at his fingers. Before he managed to withdraw his slender digits the barrier had managed to burn off the tips of three of his poisoned nails.

"Forget it, Sesshoumaru. Kagome _and_ Miroku put up this barrier. We ain't goin' nowhere." InuYasha grunted. He gingerly worked his way into a position where he could lay on his side... at least, if he had to sit through Rin's delivery he'd be comfortable.

"How can you give up so easily?" Sesshoumaru seethed. He risked a few more nails at the barrier, then stopped when he could feel the tips of his fingers blister.

"Because. Miroku's done something similar to me with his own wards." The hanyou replied. "And I've seen enough of Kagome's powers to know that if Miroku's sutras hurt like hell and bind hard then, with Kagome's spiritual gift, I'd risk losing a damned limb trying to escape."

Internally, Sesshoumaru wondered if the sutras the hanyou was referring to had anything to do with the demon slayer's prior deliveries. He decided it must have been so and left it at that.

"Oi, monk, how long's it been...?" InuYasha piped up.

Miroku blinked at his friend, shifting his staff to his other hand momentarily. "...How long...Oh... do you mean Rin?"

"Who else would I mean?"

"Ah, right." He nodded, then glanced upward towards the sky. "I'd say it's been about four hours since she went into labor. If she's like Sango's first it'll probably be..."

"Another four hours." InuYasha finished with a sigh.

"Do you mean to tell this Sesshoumaru that you intend to entrap us here for four more hours?" The great demon lord queried, eyes narrowed to golden slits.

"Give or take." Miroku replied.

"What if a rival demon were to attack...Hmm? Have you and the miko thought through what I might do then if This One's Rin were endangered." He growled back.

Miroku pretended to look bored by picking at his ear. "Yes, yes. Don't worry. The barrier is easily withdrawn by anyone on the outside." After a moment he snapped his fingers, as if remembering something. "Oh, by the way, your wife asked that you be patient and bear this inconvenience."

Two sets of golden eyes glared back at him.

"You could've told him that earlier." InuYasha grumbled.

The monk shrugged dismissively but made no further comment.

0

Two hours had gone by. InuYasha snuck a peek at his brother out of the corner of his eye. He appeared completely calm. While InuYasha could barely contain his nervous energy most of the time (and even now) his half brother managed not to move a single muscle in all of two hours. Not a hair on his head did move. Yet, his youkai energy swirled and thrashed around him. Worse yet, the more Rin cried out from her little room, the worse the energy roiled around them. It set his teeth on edge. It was time to put an end to this... or make it worse.

"What would you do if you were out of here?"

The great demon lord refused to look at him. "First This One would tear your whelp to pieces for his insolence. Then This One would beat your monk to death with his own sutras."

InuYasha nodded sagely. "Yeah, I get going after Shippou... and Miroku's had far too much fun at our expense."

Sesshoumaru blinked at the hanyou. He hadn't expected the halfling to agree with him. Where was the raging fit? The protectiveness? The insolence? InuYasha had never made much sense to him, his own body was a contradiction to itself. Half human, half demon, all nonsense. But he'd thought, by now, that he'd known his predictable moods. Sesshoumaru was given no further time to think. InuYasha had more to say.

"But... after that. What then?"

"This One would throw out the miko and the demonslayer. They have not caused the necessary amount of trouble for death..."

"...And then?"

"... This One would..." Sesshoumaru trailed off. What would he do? He had no such power to stop Rin's suffering, save death, but that defeated the purpose of birth, did it not? There was no mid-wife as trustworthy as Sango would be. It was abundantly clear that Kagome was a far more powerful miko than the generous credit he had already given her, which mean Rin was well and truly protected from demons. In all honesty they owed him nothing but the roof over their heads, and that, they could have done without. They had so many times before.

InuYasha left him to brood. He could have nailed it home by talking about how difficult it was for him to listen to Sango's suffering during labor. Or how he'd never let Kagome go through the same agony if he could help it. But seeing as he was half-related to the demon, he supposed he'd get the idea much better if he simply thought it out on his own. Saying anything would risk pricking his pride and raising the beast within once more. Besides, the youkai energy around Sesshoumaru had returned to a slow simmer, which is really all he'd wanted to quiet, anyway.

0

An hour later the voices in Rin's quarters reached a fever pitch. Both demons sat forward as far as they dared, ears pricked to each cry uttered from the women within. Sango and Kagome coached Rin fervently, while Rin swung somewhere between yelps of pain and numerous complaints directed at her mate. Just when it seemed Sesshoumaru might lean so far forward his head might touch the edge of the barrier, the sliding doors slid open a hair. Kagome's pale moon of a face peeked out into the cold night air. She nodded once at Miroku and he went at once to one of the sutras lying on the ground. With a flick of his foot, he disturbed the orientation of the sutra. The barrier flickered and fizzled out.

Miroku indicated towards the building with a tilt of his head. "It's almost time, Sesshoumaru. You should stand ready to accept your child. I suggest you do not go in until you are called."

The great demon gave the man a withering look and said nothing. He rose to his feet in a single, sweeping graceful motion and stalked towards Rin's quarters. When he was almost to the steps a tiny cry filtered out.

Sesshoumaru halted, one foot still raised to step forward, his lips parted. "This is..."

The sliding doors scraped open and Sango stepped out smiling. A small bundle squirmed in her arms. "Say hello to your little girl, Sesshoumaru."

"A girl..." He murmured. He moved then. In a few strides he was up the steps and beside the demon slayer. A tiny howl from the folds of Sango's blanket caused him to smirk. She had attitude and a good set of lungs. Good. Sango gently handed the bundle to the demon lord. He pushed back the folds of the blanket to reveal her face. The pale purple mark of the crescent moon was on her brow, as was one set of matching purple stripes. _The mark of a poisonous demon. Also good news_. The demon thought. Her hair was spun silver and the tips of white pointed ears peeked out from the top of her head. A hanyou's ears would take some getting used to, but he could manage.

She squawked once, sniffed the air, then settled. Satisfied she was in good hands. He smirked. This one has good sense, too. "Chitose." He murmured. The baby girl opened her golden eyes at the name and smiled tiny fangs at him. Then he schooled his features and spoke more conversationally. "She'll do."

InuYasha rolled his eyes. Miroku grinned.

Kagome chose then to step out, her fingers were tangled in a towel. "She's ready to see you now."

Sesshoumaru's only indication that he had heard was to brush by the small crowd. He disappeared into Rin's quarters and slid the door shut behind him with a soft click.

Sango and Kagome silently shuffled down the stairs and towards their quarters. After more than seven hours of working with Rin they were ready to bathe, change clothes, and relax for the night. The other men followed.

0


	23. The Rabbit Hole

**I will write a one-shot of any crack fic the person wants (of an anime I have seen) who can tell me why the hell Hulu keeps having a stroke on me every four episodes or so and HOW I CAN FIX IT. I have satellite internet but the weather's fine, my speed test is fine and other sites are unaffected. Every so often, no matter what I do, hulu stops running and says it's having some sort of trouble loading the video. I have tried fiddling with the java settings, restarting the computer, closing everything but hulu, and all sorts of other things yet it STILL persists. It also starts working again at random. Sometimes closing and re-opening the browser is enough. Other times it's two or three reboots of the computer. This is severely slowing down my writing process as I attempt to watch InuYasha while I work on BTT. HELP!**

0

1659

0

Silver flashed in the sunlight. White cloth fluttered in the breeze. A flash of red followed. Chitose's squeal of joy penetrated the quiet of the afternoon as InuYasha captured his niece and swung her up into his arms.

"Caught you, you little imp!" He smirked. He was astonished by how she'd grown in just two years. Her silver hair was already waist length. The little slashes of purple on her cheeks and the half-moon on her forehead reminded him constantly that she would eventually grow in to her poisonous traits. For now, though, her blood remained non-toxic. Sesshoumaru guessed she would start manifesting her poisonous abilities around age five.

The child squirmed and shrieked a giggle. Her claws curled around his fingers, the tiny, razor sharp tips drew blood from the knuckle she grasped. The hanyou winced and set her back down. He tapped the tip of her nose with a finger, then splayed his injured hand in front of her for her observation.

"Ya gotta watch those claws, pup. Your mom's human and she doesn't heal as fast as we do. What if you did that to her?"

Chitose looked from his hand to his face, huge gold eyes blinked back at him. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of his blood and sniffed the air. She was too young to understand much of what he said, nor could she speak much else but burble and squeal, but it helped to start teaching her as if she could. He waggled a finger at her and swept away the bit of blood with his thumb. The wound was already healed.

He sighed at her blank expression. "Well, you're only two. You'll learn soon. Hopefully before you hurt her." By five she would be able to control her power enough that she wouldn't be a risk to her human mother, so Sesshoumaru said, at least.

He squatted down next to her and ruffled her bangs with a claw. The toddler wrinkled her nose and raised her tiny fingers to bat at his hands. Chitose wasn't fond of anyone mussing her silver locks.

"Yeah. I know. Messing with your hair sucks. Ears are fun though. Just don't tell anybody." He grinned at her, giving one of her ears a rub. Chitose cooed happily.

Then the wind changed direction. Kagome's scent tickled his senses and he raised his face to sniff the air.

"InuYasha?" Kagome's voice brought his ears twitching in her direction. He turned his head towards the sound, his eyes found her emerging from a path that lead towards the castle garden. She raised her hand to wave at him and he reciprocated. Chitose grabbed a handful of his pant leg and tugged insistently for his attention. The hanyou turned his golden gaze down to her. She raised her little hands, clasping and unclasping them towards him.

"Hmph! Now you want to be picked up." He huffed and pulled her up into his arms. The little girl happily set to work weaving her claws into his hair in impossible tangles.

"Babysitting again?" Kagome said as she made her way towards him.

"Keh!"

"I'll take that as a yes." Kagome grinned. "Where's Akahanna? I thought she and Haruto were watching her?"

InuYasha shook his head. "Sesshoumaru called them out for something..." He shrugged. "Dunno. Don't care. Just needed to watch the kid until you get back."

"Ah." Kagome nodded and pursed her lips. She gave Chitose a weak smile.

The hanyou felt his stomach sink a fraction. The look on her face could only mean one thing...

Chitose raised her face to the wind and sniffed the air. Her mouth opened to release a wild squeal before she turned and began toddling her way towards the castle gates. InuYasha watched her go, not bothering to follow when he could scent her father so close. Instead, he turned back to his wife.

"That bastard... Noboru. He's called, hasn't he?"

She nodded.

"Where?" His fingers drifted to the hilt of Tetsusaiga.

Her lips turned white as they thinned further. "The well."

0

Trees blurred past them in flashes of verdant green. Out of the corner of her eye a hint of auburn drew her to glance back, just in time to see Shippou bouncing from tree to tree a few yards behind. A spark of red lit flickered beyond that-likely Kirara carrying Sango with Miroku. _We're all together again, rushing off to fight the good fight, huh_? She thought as she smiled and turned her head into the warmth of her husband's back.

When the forest opened to the clearing she had frequented so many times in the past her heart lurched in her chest_. A thousand memories, a hundred tears, countless laugher; it all happened...here._ She thought. Her stomach did a flip-flop when Noboru stepped from the woods, mere feet from the well. He tilted his head to the side and smiled.

"My, my, look at this! There's so many people it's like a party." The living tree tittered.

InuYasha landed softly in the clearing and Kagome clambered off his back. The miko lifted her hands to her hair and shook out her raven locks. It was an attempt to buy herself a moment's breath and school her features into one of boredom. She prayed that Noboru couldn't hear the wild beating of her heart, as any demon would and would know her distress.

"Hm... You sure picked a boring place to meet." The miko sighed, casting her eyes about the clearing. She hoped it appeared that she was surveying the area without a hint of recognition.

"Really, Kagome? You're going to play that game with me?" He swept an arm around and spun on one toe in a circle slowly. "In this place that has so much history for all of you?"

Kagome could feel her cheeks turn cold as the color left her face. Though the well was closed, and had been since she had arrived in the Warring States Period so long ago, something within her urged her to be cautious.

She released a long, slow breath. "I had hoped so... This place is much more comforting without you here corrupting it."

InuYasha growled and cracked his knuckles in agreement. Something about the whole situation raised the hackles on the back of his neck. He wondered if Miroku and Kagome felt the heaviness in the air.

Noboru made a face and stepped closer to the well. "Such cruel words, my love. I'm wounded." He threw his head back and touched his knuckles to his forehead, as if he had been physically slapped.

"I should hope to call you worse." Sango muttered.

Noboru's pale eyes blinked at Sango. "Of course you would. I hold your children, after all."

InuYasha's low, rumbling growl grew a few shades louder. "And murdered innocent people in fires and mass slayings. Doesn't exactly speak to your character."

The living tree sighed. "I had hoped a demon could understand the act of a necessary evil... but I see you lack the forethought for that. Just as Naraku said, you are _such_ a simpleton."

He rolled his golden eyes. "Keh. Whatever." He'd heard so many insults in his long life he was no longer fazed when the bad guys resorted to name-calling.

"What, exactly, has Naraku told you about this place, then, since we are on the subject?" Miroku interjected.

_Good idea, Miroku, let's see what he knows_. Kagome thought as she suppressed a smile.

Noboru shrugged, his long, golden locks sparkled in the sunlight where they cascaded down his shoulders. The angle of the sun on them made it appear as though he had a halo about his head. Kagome found the thought disturbing, so far from the truth that it was.

As the living tree spoke he walked around the well slowly, one ponderous step at a time, almost as if marching to some unheard beat. "That stinking pile of flesh told me so many interesting tales. He told me my love appeared and disappeared here... That she was from a far off land where they raise powerful mikos... That someone summoned her here, though he never did find out whom."

InuYasha and Kagome exchanged a dubious look. They both knew much of that information was wrong. Unfortunately, Naraku had gotten some of it right, too.

Noboru was not yet finished speaking. "He said..." He paused as he rounded the well for a second time, sanding beside it. "...That you came..."

Kagome felt something pulse within her. Energy. Old. Alive. And sluggish. As if a great force had decided to stir from a long, long rest. A whisper of energy coiled near and ready to strike. She sensed the energy was waiting for something. It was then she felt something within it that was tantalizingly familiar, but she couldn't name the source of the feeling. Her right hand moved slowly upwards, inching towards the shoulder that held her bow. Whatever was happening, she needed to be ready. She cast a glance at Miroku for confirmation that he felt the spiritual energy she was feeling. He appeared near Sango's side, tense but confused. When she turned her gaze to her husband she found him reaching for the hilt of his sword. His nostrils flared as he sniffed the air, he too seemed to recognize something like she did.

Noboru's fingers came to rest on the lip of the well just then. "...From here."

*Ba-Thump!*

The air pulsed with energy. The well crackled with purple light. The great thing that Kagome had felt seemed to rise to action. In her mind she heard words that were not her own.

_"Do not touch what is mine, weed."_

Noboru's eyes opened wide with an emotion she had never seen before: fear. He snatched his hand away from the well and crossed them protectively in front of himself. A great crack of thunder rumbled from the well, and the purple energy raced out from the depths of it and slammed into the living tree. He flew backwards with a startled cry towards the closest tree within the clearing of the Bone Eaters' Well. The tree behind him grew suddenly, its thick roots pushing up from the ground and yawning wide into a gaping hole filled with the familiar light Kagome and InuYasha knew so well from traveling through the well.

_"Be gone."_ The voice in her mind bellowed as Noboru disappeared into the light.

Kagome gaped at the spectacle. She was so caught up in the display that she failed to see the purple light zipping towards her. But InuYasha did. With a shout of her name the hanyou was in front of her, shielding her from the light. She screamed his name as it grabbed him and threw him into the opening in the tree. Then her own cries were cut off as she, too was overcome by the light.

The moment before it touched her she thought she felt arms around her middle, and a male voice shouting a warning. The sound vanished in the roar of energy surging past her ears. Then she was pulled in and the darkness enveloped her.

Then she felt nothing.


	24. Lost

**Okay, folks. I've had some questions about Sesshoumaru, so, let's get this straightened out for those of you who don't know this. In the original Japanese version of the manga and the anime Sesshoumaru has an unusual manner of speech. He's speaking in the Japanese version of what we westerners tend to call "the royal we". In European royalty a nobleperson of high enough status would speak in the royal we pretty much all the time. It's kind of like speaking of yourself in the third person. Here's an example: Normally I, being a commoner, would say something like "I do not like this dress." in the royal we I'd say something like "We do not like this dress". Japanese nobility also has a particular mode of speech that is similar to the royal we but doesn't translate quite so well to English. In their version, referring to one's self is more or less done by saying "This One wants..." or "This Sesshoumaru thinks..." rather than "I want..." or "I think..." So then, why isn't this kind of language included in the English versions of InuYasha? Most likely it's because it's a very obscure concept for mainstream people to grasp, especially when you consider that it doesn't translate into English exactly like the royal we does. I, however, have chosen to keep Sesshoumaru's speech as close to how it was depicted in the Japanese versions as possible. I'm keeping it like this because I think it adds another layer to his character and InuYasha's that we miss out on in the dubbed version of the anime. Think about it: every time Sesshoumaru speaks to InuYasha he sounds **_**so very different**_** from his brother. It says a lot about how different their upbringings were and it could even be a small barb thrown at InuYasha consciously or unconsciously by his brother to show his apparent "superiority" to him in all things.**

0

?

0

The world around her was filled with darkness. Though she could not see anything she could hear the rustling of tree branches in the wind and the scent of leaves warmed in the sun. It reminded her faintly of sitting up in the Goshinbuku tree with InuYasha. Just as she was about to be lulled into a peaceful sleep an unfamiliar voice stole upon her.

"I'm sorry." It whispered. "I had forgotten my strength."

She couldn't decide if the voice was male or female. It had the soft, lilting tones of a woman, but also a deeper thrum of a man's voice. It didn't feel threatening. In fact, the voice brought with it a tender, familiar warmth.

"It's all right." She murmured, though she wasn't sure what, exactly was all right. She felt too peaceful and at home to be terribly concerned.

"It's been longer than I thought since I used my power..." The voice sighed wistfully. "You were meant to be elsewhere safe with your companions to prepare. The weed's interference got in my way."

"You meant well." Kagome assured the voice. She still wasn't sure why she was so agreeable to it, but it seemed so _right_.

"I do. I'm sorry I can't watch over you from where you are thrown out. I can only offer you this: to destroy the weed..." The wind grew more intense and she struggled to hear the voice. "... find the..." Her ears strained to catch his words but the wind was roaring and she heard nothing more and she blacked out once again.

0

"...gome..."

A voice called to her.

"...Please..."

This one was familiar. Youthful, full of fear.

"Wake up, Kagome!" The voice called urgently. She felt herself shaken.

Her eyes snapped open to find Shippou's worried visage hovering over her. He released the breath he had been holding in a long whoosh. "Whew. You're up."

She blinked and rubbed her eyes. "Shippou?"

The kitsune shifted and sat back on his haunches. "You were out for a while. So take it easy, okay?"

The miko slid her palms beneath her and pushed down until she had levered herself up into a sitting position. She noticed that the kitsune had attempted to build a modest bed of the driest leaves he could find, but her clothes remained slightly damp.

"InuYasha?" She inquired. Though she could not sense the pull of his demonic aura anywhere.

Shippou shook his head in confirmation. "I can't find him, or Miroku, or Sango." He scratched the back of his head absently. "I tried to take a look around, but I didn't want to go too far while you were asleep. I can't smell any demons but... best not to take chances."

Kagome frowned and glanced around her. Trees loomed up on all sides of her, dark and damp from a recent rain. One tree in particular caught her attention. The roots of the tree were stretched up and distorted into the semblance of a doorway. It looked almost identical to the one they had been sucked through. Yet, this tree had no glow, and she could see straight through the opening to the trees beyond it. She pushed herself up to her feet and took a few cautious steps towards the tree.

It remained dormant. No lights burst forth from the tree, nor did any voices shout. The miko placed her hand against one of the roots and prayed silently for the portal to open.

Still nothing. She waited a few minutes longer until nothing further happened, then shivered. The air was cool, not cold, but the water that had dampened her cotton robes chilled her skin considerably. Shippou shifted uncomfortably. He could smell a good many things in this forest they were in but none of them, including the trees themselves were familiar.

"Kagome, do you know where we are?" The young demon asked, nervousness tinged his voice.

The miko's fingers curled into the bark of the tree in front of her. "Nowhere I know of..."

Shippou raised his head and sniffed the air. Emerald eyes wandered up the side of one tree. "Hang on, Kagome, let me go take a look around. Stay here."

Without another word he scampered up one of the taller trees near them. He vanished into the foliage, cursing when the needles of an overhanging pine nearly took an eye out. Kagome listened to his fussing, her fingers twisting together absently. They were lost somewhere unknown, InuYasha, Sango, and Miroku were missing. Not to mention Noboru had to be lurking around somewhere as well. Her stomach did several flip flops at the thought. _At least I'm with Shippou_. She reminded herself.

As if on cue, the fox demon in question reemerged from the highest branches of a tree and bounded downward until he could easily jump down to the forest floor. He landed in a hushed, rustling thud.

"Two things." He crossed his hands over his chest, his face thoughtful. "One: There's kitsune here. I can see some kitsune magic markers in places around the forest canopy."

"Kitsune? That's good, right?" Kagome ventured.

The teenager shrugged. "Not sure. The magic has a funny tint to it... kinda... greenish. It's definitely kitsune, for sure. But, I don't think it's anybody local and it's_ definitely_ not anybody's magic I recognize."

The miko wasn't sure what to make of this new bit of information so she stowed it away in the back of her mind for the moment. "So what's the second thing?"

"We're not too far from the edge of tree line. If we head east from here it looks like we'll come out in someone's wheat field." He replied, a clawed index finger pointed them in the appropriate direction. "So, we must be near some village. Farmlands mean a village has got to be near by, right?" He added quickly.

She nodded. A thought pressed her to question further. "Did you see Mount Fuji at all up there?"

The boy shook his head firmly in the negative. His face clouded in confusion. She wondered if perhaps, then, they had been teleported to another island in Japan? Kagome gave one last look at the tree that looked like a doorway. Standing around there all day long wouldn't answer her questions, that was for certain.

"Let's go then."

0

Thirty minutes later the two emerged from the forest. The gray sky had remained unchanged in their silent trek through the woods. With the sun hidden away behind the clouds it was hard to say what time it was, exactly. All she could tell for certain was that it was still daytime.

The woods opened up to rolling fields of emerald. Each field looked like a patchwork quilt of green and gold. The squares land were haphazardly spliced together with rows of small brush or rocks to separate them. It certainly hadn't been the rice paddies of the Sengoku Period she had been expecting.

Thus she asked herself again, "Just _where_ on earth are we?"

Shippou looked uncomfortable and stuffed his hands into the folds of his sleeves. "I was hoping you could tell me... Oh hey, look, there's a villager over there!" He motioned to a dark figure several yards away. He appeared to be hacking away at an old tree stump with an axe. The two shuffled towards him.

"Ah, excuse me, Sir! My friend and I are lost." Kagome waved a hand and slowed as she neared him. The man straightened up as he saw their approach. "Could you tell me where...?" The miko's voice trailed off.

The man wore a pair of worn brown trousers with a high waist that ended in suspenders. His shirt hung off his thin frame. The long, billowy sleeves emphasized how skinny he was. His collar, and part of a ragged tie that looked more like a sash than anything she recognized were drenched in sweat. Dirty blonde hair poked out from a large floppy hat and his skin was covered in freckles, so much so that it seemed that the freckles made up his ruddy tan.

_These clothes... these are definitely not from my era..._ She thought to herself, her mind buzzing. _But then..._ _what time period are we in? And for that matter, _**where**_ are we? He looks like an American. Is this America?_

The man blinked large hazel eyes at her, then began rambling in a different language. Shippou stared open-mouthed at the man, utterly befuddled. The stranger pointed at Kagome and the kitsune, then somewhere towards the distance and spoke again, this time he repeated himself slower. A flash of recognition dawned on her.

"Lost." He'd said the word 'lost' in English. She remembered it from her summer classes the timber to his voice was odd, though. He had an accent to it that wasn't familiar. _Maybe he's not an American?_

He must have seen some recognition in her eyes because he repeated the word 'lost' again. She nodded her head. Yes, they were definitely lost. Feeling encouraged, the man launched into a long, complicated question. This time, she understood "lost" "people" "city" and "England."

"England?!" She gasped and turned to Shippou. "We're in England!"

The kitsune gave her a blank viridian stare. "Eng...Wha..?"

"It's a country on the other side of the world. Oh gods, we're a long way from home." She moaned. "If we got sent here, there's no telling where InuYasha and everyone else ended up."

"Um... Kagome? That guy's still talking..." Shippou interjected.

The miko blinked and blushed. "Oh right." She switched to English and asked the man as best she could if there were other Japanese nearby. The miko made a note to herself to study more English when she had time.

To her surprise he responded positively to her question. She understood only enough to know that there were Japanese in a big city and that the city was not too far away. He heart lifted a bit. She hoped her husband and the rest of her friends were there waiting. She managed to get some directions and, though she was fairly certain the farmer wanted to direct her himself, she managed with great difficulty to dissuade him. Thus the miko and the kitsune began to make their way towards the city called Manchester.

0

When they were out of earshot Shippou began asking questions.

"So if we're here and the locals are dressed funny... does that mean we're in your time period?" His voice sounded hopeful. Like the others, he knew her time period was supposedly a very safe time to live in.

She shook her head "I don't think so. His clothes looked funny to me, too. I'm not sure what year this is. I never did much studying on European history."

Shippou looked more than a little disappointed. He had heard many things about her time that sounded wondrous: Actors that lived in small boxes and entertained people, mechanical horses that took people anywhere they wished, and buildings that reached up into the clouds.

She laughed and swept up his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. "You'll see it one day. I promise." Kagome could not help but feel relieved that, though she was separated from a lot of her friends, she still ended up with one of them.

He blushed and curled his fingers tighter around hers. InuYasha's words from many years back moved to the forefront of his mind. The hanyou had told him that if something happened to him that he should take her mark. The kitsune raised his nose to the air and scented her. Her mark was fairly weak, but still good. He hoped he wouldn't need to take it before they found InuYasha. It felt too much like admitting the dog demon might be indisposed...or dead. He shuddered inwardly at the thought. No, he couldn't think like that. They would find him before the mark faded enough for her to be vulnerable to aging and disease again; that's all there was to it. Until then though, it was up to him to protect her.

The afternoon sunlight had faded to crimson dusk when the kitsune and the miko saw the first signs of the city. Foot and hoof traffic picked up first. Everywhere people stared at them, some small children even pointed from the window of a horse-drawn buggy. Shippou's cheeks pinked with embarassment. Kagome continued on, unfazed, years of wearing her high school uniform in the Warring States Period had made her immune to the scrutiny of others.

The roads changed from dirt to cobblestone and the houses gradually drew closer and closer together. As they did they became taller as well. Shippou gaped at the dark brick buildings with their gothic architecture that seemed to reach up with clawed hands towards the heavens while stone gargoyles snarled silently downward.

"Everything's made of stone..." He murmured. "It's not stucco or wood or paper..."

Kagome barely registered his voice as her eyes fell upon a small wooden kiosk set up on the edge of a sidewalk. She hurred over to it and scanned the stacks of papers over it while a man babbled at her in English. She ignored him, focusing instead on the numbers in the far corners. The miko released a breath she had not realized she had been holding as her eyes found what she was looking for.

"Shippou. It's 1871." She turned her eyes back up towards him. "The Meiji Era. We're in the Meiji era at home."

The young demon stared blankly back at her, he understood the year clearly enough but the meaning of the era was lost on him. The miko turned to him, her eyes shining, a hopeful smile turning the corners of her lips upward.

"It means Japan's borders are open. It means we'll be able to go home." She breathed.

He scratched his head. "The borders were closed before?"

"Ah, yes." She gave a small, embarrassed laugh. "A long time ago the humans of Japan cut off all contact from the rest of the world and we went into a long period of isolation. In the 1860's an American naval convoy forced Japan to re-open its borders."

"That sounds bad." Emerald eyes turned critically towards her.

"You'd think, but it actually opened up a period of great prosperity, innovation, and advancement for Japan that will last two hundred years."

"Really?"

"Yep, in fact, Edo might look a little bit more like this place when we get back." She added.

Shippou looked thoughtful as he digested the information. "So... how do we get home?"

Kagome thought about it for a minute. "I'm not sure. I guess we go looking for the Japanese people that farmer was talking about."

"You won't have to look far, madam." A silken voice chimed in near-perfect Japanese behind them. "We'll bring you to them."

The two turned at the same time towards the sound of the man's voice. Two slender men of short stature bowed to them. They both looked nearly identical to the other with short hair spiked up and away towards the base of their skulls. They were fair-skinned and smartly dressed in black slacks, white button-down shirts, and brown and white checked vests of silk that matched the color of their deep brown eyes. The only thing that differed between them was the color of their hair. One had dark brown hair with two white strips originating from the tip of his widow's peak outward towards the back of his head. The other had deep ebony hued hair with tan stripes in the same pattern as the other.

Shippou stepped protectively in front of the miko, his lips twitched in the beginnings of a snarl. "Who the hell are you?"

The two men glanced at each other, then grinned. The one with brown hair bowed with a flourish. "My name is Currey. My compatriot here is Daz." The other man nodded a silent greeting. "We've come to escort you back to your group."

Kagome placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder to let him know she appreciated his protection. "You'll have to excuse our hesitance. We didn't expect to find anyone who knew Japanese out here."

Daz chuckled. "Ah, well, you probably haven't seen us before. You see we are escorts for the Iwakura Mission. We only get sent out when someone wanders off. When we heard rumor there were a couple of oddly-dressed people walking around talking in a foreign language we figured one of our guests got lost."

Kagome knew immediately of what they were speaking and she raised a hand to cover her mouth as she gave her best embarrassed titter. "You caught us. I'm so sorry. I thought I would take a peek at these European markets everyone's been talking about and... well... we got lost."

The miko turned her gaze towards companion. She hoped Shippou would be smart enough not to ask any questions of her. They needed a way to get back home, and their best bet would be to infiltrate the famous mission without raising any immediate suspicion. She prayed the Kakuri beads would help hide their identity enough to blend in, of course, if Shippou said the wrong thing it wouldn't matter what they looked like to the two esorts. Fortunately, the boy was quite adaptive, understanding immediately what she needed of him.

Currey rolled his eyes and muttered something in English to Daz about women and getting lost. She could only imagine that it was something disparaging about her gender but she acted like she hadn't understood. Her cheeks flushed in irritation but she pretended as though she was merely blushing in embarrassment.

"Very well, then, my lady. Shall we be off?" Currey chimed in.

Kagome nodded emphatically. "Yes, please, take us back."

Daz swept in beside her and scooped her hand up and placed it in the crook of his elbow. Shippou began to growl menacingly at the other man. To cover the feral sound Kagome squeaked and pulled her hand away to her face, releasing a series of embarrassed giggles.

"Oh my! That is much too forward a move in my country." She gasped as she scooted closer to the kitsune and gave him a gentle nudge to calm him.

"My apologizes if I've offended you." Daz smiled ruefully, "In our country it is considered common courtesy to take a beautiful woman by the arm and escort her like such in public."

This time both Currey and Shippou rolled their eyes simultaneously. Apparently, neither were enamored with Daz's antics.

Kagome shied closer to Shippou. "No offense taken."

Daz shook his head and sighed. "Ah, well, can't blame a bloke for trying. Follow me then."

0


End file.
